Shadows of the Past
by Bittah
Summary: A girl's past comes back to haunt her in this violent array of storylines. Violence, sexual violence, swearing and thinks stuff.
1. Beginning

Disclaimer: all characters from the movie are Disney's, damn them. *smirks* please read and review.

Sunlight streamed through an upstairs window of the Brooklyn Lodging House illuminating the pale, smooth face of a girl about the age of sixteen. Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal a pair of green eyes, clouded over with sleepiness. If one were to look closer, they'd see a deep scar running down her cheek and certain toughness to her young facial features. Her eyebrows curved into a sarcastic frown as someone nudged her. Her lips curved into a wicked smile as she turned around and shoved the girl off her bed.

"G'mornin' ta you too," BC Tate muttered from her spot on the ground. She was already dressed in her normal attire and her straight brown hair shined, showing that it had already been brushed. Her hazel eyes were already sparkling, not a trace of sleepiness in them. Her pale face was flustered as she got up from the floor, dusting herself off.

"I'se told ya time an' again ta leave me alone in de mornin', especially when I'se in me bunk," Bitter said, rolling out of bed. She pulled a light blue shirt over her white tank and pulled on the baggy pants she had stolen from Spot last night. She held them up with one hand as she went to grab her black suspenders with the other. BC smirked when she could not find them. 

"I wouldn't 'ave woken ya up without a reason," she said snidely. "Estrella's out in de hall if ya don't want yer pants fallin' down all day. Although I'se suah Spot wouldn't mind," she said, snickering. The other girls quickly joined in on the laughing as Bitter turned bright red. They shouted their own comments at her as she glared at BC. 

"Damn me fer being de only goil heah wid a guy," she muttered to herself as she pushed her way through the girls and to the door leading to the hall.

Estrella's slim body was leaning against the wall, her bright blue eyes attached to looking at the guy in front of her. She ran a hand through her curly blonde hair, obviously flirting with one of the Brooklyn newsies again. Her other hand held a cigarette and when she moved it up to her lips, Bitter could see her black suspenders hanging out of the pocket of Estrella's pants. 

In one quick step, Bitter grabbed her suspenders from the pocket, snatched the cigarette from her mouth and slapped her across the face, not too hard, but not at all lightly. She smirked at the bewildered boy and took a long drag of the cigarette. "Yer lucky I ain't grumpy, or you'd be in fer an ass-beating," Bitter said, grabbing her pants as they began to fall again. She ignored the glare Estrella was sending her way and took a last drag of the cigarette and then tossed it lightly at the boy. She laughed as he actually tried to catch it and winked at Estrella, who smirked in return. Bitter turned on her heel and pushed past the girls again, who had gathered by the door, shutting the door before they could come back in. BC didn't even look up as she entered. 

Bitter put on her suspenders and then grabbed the nearest brush, pulling it through her short blonde hair. She grabbed her gray cap and put it on, stuffing her hair up into it. She then threw on her only pair of shoes and made towards the window. BC got up and followed her without even muttering a sound. She climbed through the open window, onto the fire escape and slid down the railing of it. 

BC was taking her time like usual, and Bitter tapped her foot impatiently. She smirked as BC almost fell down the stairs. She finally made it without falling on her face and smiled crazily at Bitter. "Ready ta sell papes?" Bitter asked.

Buttercup smiled, "Yeah, an' jist remember dat ya promised ta sell with me taday," she said, knowing that if she didn't act now, Bitter would probably get persuaded by Spot to sell with him again. 

Bitter nodded, "Hey I hoid we'se gettin' a new goil latah taday, from Manhattan," she said.

BC smiled, "Must be too tough fer Jack's likin'," she said with a smirk. Both girls cracked up, remembering how he likes his "soft goils" and tries to steer all the troublemakers to Brooklyn. 

"Hoid he's got a different goil now," Bitter said with a smirk. 

BC laughed, "He goes through a lotta dem, don't he? Shows how stupid of a guy he really is," she said with a laugh. Bitter joined in laughing and the two girls didn't stop cracking jokes about him until they got to the Distribution Center.

* * *

Spot smiled when he saw Bitter walking towards him with Buttercup. He slung his arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "G'mornin'," she said.

BC rolled her eyes and went to go grab her papers. Spot smirked as he looked her up and down. "My pants look much bettah on you," he said, seeing the khaki's that hung at her curvy hips.

Bitter hit him lightly on the shoulder, "De other goils are watchin'. I gotta keep up my rep of bein' tough," she said with a smirk.

Spot smiled, "Yeah, yeah," he said, releasing his hold on her. "So we sellin' tagether taday?" he asked.

BC shoved half of her newspapers at Bitter, "I called 'er fer taday loverboy," she said with a smirk plastered on her face. She grabbed Bitter's arm and pulled her away from Spot. Bitter waved good-bye and then turned her attention towards the papers in her hand. 

"Anything good taday?" Bitter asked, trying to walk and read at the same time, bumping into various people as she went.

BC shook her head, "De headline writer sux dis week, but he'll probably be fired before de weekend edition," she said. 

Bitter nodded, "I guess we'll jist hafta actually think of our own until den, won't we?" she replied. BC smirked as they reached their selling spot and hollered one "improved" headline.

Selling went pretty smooth that day and they were easily done by lunchtime. Bitter jingled the change in her hand and smiled at BC. "Hungry?" she asked.

BC smiled as her stomach grumbled in reply. "I guess so, de deli taday?" she asked Bitter who was laughing. She nodded, "Suah," she replied.

The Deli was only a few blocks down, so they got there in no time. As they entered the place wonderful aromas filled their noses and only made them more anxious to get their food. They bought some sandwiches and took them outside. 

"I'se gonna go ta de bridge," BC said, between bites of her sandwich. Buttercup had a strange obsession with the Brooklyn Bridge. Bitter never asked her about it and neither did anyone else.

Bitter nodded, "Want some company?" she asked. 

BC shook her head, "I got some thinkin' ta do, plus dat new goil may be back at de lodgin' house already," she said.

Bitter smiled, always excited to get more girls in the lodging house. Their bunkroom was pretty big and it never seemed full with only the six of them, but Spot only allowed tough girls in his lodging house, saying that Brooklyn was too dangerous for girlie girls. She said a quick good-bye and practically ran back to the lh after quickly swallowing the rest of her sandwich. 

Bitter slowed as she neared it, seeing Spot talking to some girl. She went up behind him and blew in his ear. He smiled, knowing it was her. "Hey Bittah, I'd like ya ta met our newest edition to the girls' bunkroom. Dis heah is Whiskey," he said, nodding towards the girl in front of him. Her dark brown, wavy hair was in her face and only when she pushed the strands away could you see her light green eyes, as clear as crystal and full of emotions. Her agile body leaned against the door in a nervous sort of way. She pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on, looking Bitter up and down and then just as quickly, slipped them off and pushed them into the pocket of her pants. 

Bitter smiled slightly as she saw a look of respect crossed the girls face. Whiskey stuck out her hand and spit on it. Bitter followed suit, nodding. "Nice ta meet ya Bittah, hoid 'bout ya in Manhattan," she said, a rough tone to her voice. 

Bitter had a feeling she would like this girl and smiled at Spot, "I'll take it from heah," she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She smirked when she saw the uncomfortable look on Whiskey's face. She pulled the door open and pushed Whiskey through and then followed. 

"Dis is it," Bitter said with a smirk. "Ya sign in ovah dere, I'm suah Spot's told ya how much lodgin' is, so I don't hafta go into dat," she continued. 

She started up the stairs and waited for Whiskey to follow. "Now, ya don't have a Manhattan boy do ya?" she asked. 

Whiskey shook her head, "No," she said, with a certain snideness to the answer.

Bitter smiled, "Good, 'cause all de goils heah are single 'cept me," she said, "an' I'll soak ya if ya get in me face about it."

Whiskey smirked, "Are all de goils like you?" she asked.

Bitter laughed, "Ya could say dat dey're as tough as me," she replied. She stopped at the top of the stairs and in front of the door.

"Now, dis is de girls' bunkroom, I wouldn't suggest evah even tryin' ta get into de boys' bunkroom, it's a pigsty in dere," she said with a laugh. 

She pushed the door open screaming, "Everyone decent?" Whiskey smirked as a few voices called back. "Airight, we got a new goil taday, dis is Whiskey, she's from Manhattan," she said. A few of the girls made some snide remarks about Manhattan. Bitter just rolled her eyes and pulled Whiskey over to the first girl she saw. 

A skinny girl with her hair in hundreds of small braids, with little dagger-looking pieces sticking out of her hair stood up. Her green eyes shined with depth as she looked Whiskey over. She smirked slightly and nodded at Bitter. "Dis is Wintah, if ya evah get in a squeeze during a fight, she's always de one ta pull ya out, ya don't wanna be her enemy, trust me," she said. "She's also what I would call the mom of dis place, makes everyone stay in line an' she's a sweet thing, she jist takes a while ta warm up to, don't cha Wintah?" Bittah asked with a grin.

Winter laughed, "Oh yeah, may as well throw me in de oven," she said with a sparkle in her eye. 

Whiskey smiled and muttered a nice to meet you. Bitter dragged her over to three girls playing poker. "De girl in de blue bandana's Estrella," she said, making the other two girls look up. One had intense brown eyes and brown hair that fell below her shoulders. She had an athletic build but was still quite busty. "Den dat's Mix an' Gambler, in order," Bitter said. 

Gambler waved slightly and then went back to concentrating on the game. Her emerald eyes flickered between her hand and the two girls and she tossed her red curly hair over her shoulders as she waited for the Mix to put down her cards. She had scattered freckles covering her face and had a skinny, almost athletic body. 

Bitter then pointed to a bed where a thin girl was sleeping. Her brown hair was everywhere and she was holding onto her slingshot as she slept. The sunlight caught the silver ring she wore on her right hand and Whiskey flinched. "Dat's Peeps, she's sleepin' off what she drank last night," she said quietly. 

Whiskey nodded, "I thought dere was one more girl," she said. Bitter nodded, "Buttercup Tate ain't heah, she should show up soon hopefully though," she said. She showed Whiskey to her bunk and let her arrange her few things. She took a seat by the poker game and watched it for quite some time. Her thoughts drifted all over the place, remembering the first day she had gotten here herself. 

Her head snapped up as the door opened and a very bloody girl fell through. "BC?" she said, shocked. She ran over to her friend and carefully, her and Winter picked her up and carried her over to a bunk. "Get Spot," she told Winter. Winter disappeared at once. 

Bitter held onto her friend's hand tightly. "BC, what happened?" she asked.

BC closed her eyes and then opened them, staring straight at Bitter. "I was jumped by three guys, dey wanted to know . . ." she faded off, wincing in pain.

"Ta know what BC?" Bitter asked, holding her hand tightly, looking at the door, waiting for help to come. 

"Dey asked after Melody," she said, looking sorrowfully at Bitter. Bitter's face turned pale as she said that. "I didn't tell dem anything Bittah, I thought dey might be trouble . . ." she said fading off again. Bitter pushed hard on her friends' hand. "Stay awake, you can't close yer eyes, look at me BC, look at me," she said. 

BC's eyes fluttered open and the whole room seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Spot ran through the door. "Jesus Christ," he said, seeing Buttercup's condition. 

He looked at Bitter, who was close to tears. "We got trouble," she said.

Bitter sat down solemnly on her bunk. _Why now, aftah all dese years?_ she asked herself over and over again. Spot ordered people around, getting water, bandages and someone who knew what they were doing. A small boy a little over twelve was hard at work, cleaning BC's wounds. There was a scar over his left eyebrow that twitched while he worked silently. 

"Thank Gawd we have ya around Needle," Spot said, patting the boy on the back. The boy nodded, he never seemed to talk and no one minded at all. Bitter remembered the boy for only being good at helping knife cuts and this only made her worry worse. When she had gotten in her first fight in Brooklyn, he had sown her wounds and had barely hurt her doing it. No one knew how he accomplished this skill, and no one ever asked. 

Spot sat down next to her. "Bittah, tell me what's goin' on," he said gently, putting his arm around her. 

She sighed deeply and looked into his deep blue eyes. "It's the Shadows, the damn Shadows from me past," she said. 

His eyes widened, "Wait, you mean dat pickpocket gang you were in," he asked, already knowing the answer.

She nodded her head sadly, "Yes, dat's dem," she said.

"You suah?" he asked.

She breathed in deeply, "Well, I was afraid ta ask what he looks like, but I'se pretty suah," she said. "Stay heah," she said. She got up and kneeled down next to BC. Buttercup looked up at her, smiling as much as she could, "Hey Bittah, I'se gonna be airight," she said, seeing tears form in her friend's eyes. 

Bitter nodded. "Hey BC, I gotta ask ya something. De boys who did dis, what did dey look like?" she asked.

BC closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them a minute later, a frown on her face. "Ya remembah when ya told me dat story when I was sick, about the golden boy with fire red eyes dat nevah gave up?" she asked quietly. Bitter nodded, her deepest fear already confirmed. "Dat's who de leadah was," she said.

Bitter let out a deep breath. "What about de others?" she asked. BC's eyes flickered, "One had reddish hair, called Rusty by de other two," she said, "an' den one a' dem came aftah dey had almost finished me off, called Jaws, de other one, I think, brownish hair an' kinda quiet, I think Ben, yeah, dat's what dey called 'im."

Bitter's stomach tightened into a painful clot and she gulped. "Thanks BC, dat really helped," she said, giving BC's hand a tight squeeze before getting up to go back to Spot, who was shooting worried looks over at her.

BC smiled, "We won't let 'em find ya Bittah, we won't," she said, trying to sound tough through the tears that were now streaming down her face.

Bitter nodded, "I know BC, I know, ya rest, airight?" she said, stepping away reluctantly. She nodded and closed her eyes.

Bitter walked back to Spot slowly and sat down heavily, like an extra weight was just set upon her shoulders. 

Spot looked at her caringly and gave her a quick hug. She forced a smile and then sighed, realizing how much trouble she was in. 

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"Real bad," she said quietly. "Dey got de usual guys, de toughest of 'em," she said. "I was expectin' someone else ta be wid dem tho," Bittah said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Spot looked at her a bit confused, "What does dat mean?" he asked.

She sighed and tried to gather her thoughts into words. "De only oldah guy dat treated me airight, de one I used ta think of as an oldah brother, he should be wid dem, but he ain't. Gloves, he ain't wid dem," she said quietly.

"And . . ." Spot said, helping her out.

"Dat means dey're gonna use any means ta get me back ta Chicago," she replied, her voice hoarse with worry.

Spot shook his head in dismay, "We ain't gonna let 'em," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it. She forced a smile, "I know you won't," she said, becoming quiet.


	2. leaving...

Enjoy…I will have more as soon as you want it. *smirks*

Bitter looked up to see the dark-haired boy in front of her, cleaning his hands off from the blood. "Spot, I gotta tell ya something," Needle said roughly, casting a short look at Bitter before looking back at Spot.

"Say it heah, she kin handle whatevah ya say," Spot said, squeezing her hand for emphasis. 

Needle nodded slowly. "Well, I'se got a concoin," he said slowly. "Whoevah did dat ta Buttahcup, dey know knives an' dat makes me a lil' noivous, ain't seen dat kind of woik in a long time, an' I 'av a feelin' dat dis is gonna toin ugly real soon," he said.

Spot breathed in deeply, a look of shock on his face. He stole a glance at Bitter, who was biting her lip and staring at the ground. "Thanks Needle, dat was helpful. Now I know what ta ask Bittah about dese guys," he said. Bitter grimaced and Needle took the hint and nodded, walking away from them. 

"Why don't we take a lil' walk," he said, sounding more concerned than angry. Bitter got up reluctantly and the whole room became silent as they made their way out of the lodging house. 

"So, what's dis about knives?" he asked, looking at Bitter questioningly. 

Bitter took a deep breath in, "Well," she started, staring at the ground, "in Chicago, de main type of fightin' is knife fights," she said, shuffling her feet as they walked through the darkening streets. 

He nodded, "But . . . dat ain't exactly it, is it?" he asked.

Bitter looked up and stared him in the eyes. Her green eyes deepened colors as she flickered back to memories of the past. "Vladimir, dat's his name," she said, simply. "He wasn't always de leadah a' de gang, but everyone knew he would be when he was youngah. He's da one who introduced me ta de gang. Seemed real nice at first and all, but turned instantly cold when I was completely in the gang. Tricked me a bit. Well, he was de one to teach me how to fight wid knives. I nevah liked it, nevah. I was good, real good, I took to it fast, but I hated knives, I believed it wasn't true fightin', but he was obsessed with it you could say. He was de best in all of Chicago, even beat de leadah a' de Kings, de most dangerous gang dere. He gave me my dagger," she stated, pulling up her pants leg to reveal a dagger attached to her thigh. She pulled it out and twirled it in the light. It was handmade and beautiful, glossed and shiny. She put it away just as quickly as she pulled it out. "Haven't used it much, I ain't real fond of knives nonetheless knife fights," she said.

Spot took in all this newfound information. A lot of things began to make more sense, but most of all, it became clear to him that he had to keep Bitter safe from these guys, this gang. 

Bitter sighed heavily, "We should get back," she said, anxious to see how BC was doing.

Spot nodded and walked her back to the LH, stopping at the door. She looked at him strangely. "Ain't you comin' in?" she asked.

Spot shook his head, "I'se gotta think things through. I'll probably stay de night at Manhattan, I'se suah I could use some suggestions from ol' Jacky boy, he's been around fer longah den me," he said. Bitter nodded and reluctantly went inside. 

Spot waited until the door was closed and then left. He made his way to the Bridge to find one of his "boids." He needed some more information on these Chicago goons. 

What he found out disturbed him. These guys weren't going away without Bitter. This worried him horribly. They knew she was in Brooklyn and they were gonna do anything to get her back. They were good fighters, which was already proven, so he couldn't chase them out of New York as easily as he would have liked. He walked slowly towards Manhattan as he thought of his options. He figured out a plan by the time he reached the steps of the Manhattan Lodging House. Before he could knock, Jack appeared at the door. 

"Hey Spot, come in, what can I do fer ya?" he asked.

Spot sighed heavily as he stepped through the door. "I got a favor ta ask Jackie boy," he said.

Jack nodded seriously, "Suah, anything Spot, jist name it," he said.

* * *

"Manhattan?" Bitter's rough voice screeched, waking up the whole bunkroom. "No way Spot, I ain't gonna live wid dem, I can't. Spot, you can't do dis to me," she said. 

Spot shook his head, "It's de only way ta keep ya safe," he said.

Bitter raged, "Manhattan, c'mon Spot, de goils dere are dilly and stupid, I'se gonna go insane dere!" she yelled at him. 

He glared at the girls who were already gathering around them and barked at them to leave. They muttered some obscenities as they went on getting ready for the day. Bitter sat down on her bed and crossed her arms. "I ain't goin'," she said, stubbornly.

Spot shook his head. "Listen, I don't like it anymore den you do, but its fer de best," he said.

Bitter's eyes glossed over with understanding and she breathed in deeply, "Fine, but yer gonna hate every moment I'm gone an' you know it," she said.

Spot smiled and nodded, "Of cois'," he said, "but I'll visit you at least twice a week ok?"

She nodded happily, looking around the bunkroom and realizing how much she would miss it for the next few weeks, or even months. She'd miss her girls most of all though. "An' me goils?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll send one a' dem each week, but dey'se gonna be travelin' wid one a' de guys," he said. "We gotta be careful, I know dey're gonna be tryin' hard ta find ya Bittah, but trust me, we ain't gonna let 'em. We got yer back sweetie," he said, brushing his hand against her flustered cheek.

She smiled and gave him a big hug. He hugged her back and went to kiss her but she brushed it away, shaking her finger. Spot's face turned into a pout, but she just ignored it. "Lemme talk ta me goils an' maybe I'll think about spendin' me last night heah wid ya," she said with a devious smirk.

He smirked back and nodded happily, leaving the bunkroom so she could talk to them. Bitter sat down on her bunk, "Aiiright girls, fiah de questions," she said, as they gathered around her.

"What's goin' on?" Whiskey asked, concerned by all that was happening on her first day there. 

"Well, looks like I gotta go ta Manhattan fer a while. I got some ol' acquaintances aftah me, an' it don't look too good," she said, trying to keep her explanations brief.

The girls muttered a few snide comments under their breaths about Manhattan. "We gonna get ta see ya?" Winter asked, her green eyes icing over with concern.

Bitter smirked and nodded, "I made a deal wid Spot, he said only one a week tho, an' BC gets priority once she's bettah, ya heah?" she said.

The girls groaned, but announced their agreement, knowing the two girls' closeness. "Now, I don't wanna be givin' a lecture, but ya goils gotta be careful, aiiright?" Bitter started, pausing to quiet down their complaints so she could continue on. "I don't wanna heah 'bout ya goils' gettin' hoit 'cause ya went out alone, ok? I don't care how tough ya are, ya ain't goin' anywheah alone from now on. Take someone wid ya, two is always bettah den one," she said, "I don't want to heah about ya goils gettin hoit while I'se gone, is dat clear?" 

They all nodded in silence, the severity of the situation finally hitting them. "Now, don't fret, I ain't gonna come back a damn woes from a few weeks dere, an' ya bettah not turn into a bunch of blonde idiots while I'se gone or I'll soak ya, ok? Dis ain't gonna change nuttin', jist think of it as a break from my annoying self," Bitter siad.

"Ya ain't annoyin'," Estrella said, wrinkling her nose. "You'se jist kinda rough wid us," she retorted. All the girls laughed and threw their comments up after hers.

Bitter laughed along with them and felt like everything was going to be fine from then on. "Well, let's get ta sellin," she shouted and pushed the girls out of the room. She waited until they were all gone and then proceeded to kneel by Buttercup's bunk. "I'se gonna stay heah wid you taday," she said with a smile. 

Buttercup's bruised face lit up. "I'se gonna miss ya," she said seriously. 

Bitter nodded and held her hand tightly. "You're gonna come visit me a lot, right?" she asked, eyes wide with concern and despair.

BC smiled, "Definitely," she said, "I gotta make suah me Bittah doesn't go soft on me."

Bitter laughed, "I don't think dat'll evah happen," she replied, making them both elicit small giggles. 

The day went by quickly and soon night was approaching, the Brooklyn girls coming back tired from a long day. Bitter said her quick goodnights and then shoved them off to bed, turning off the light as she left. 

She made her way quickly to Spot's room and knocked quietly, getting only a groan for a response. Spot was already half-asleep, the covers pulled up messily around him and him barely responding to Bitter's entrance. She climbed in next to him and cuddled up to him, loving just being with him, even if he was too tired to pay much attention to her. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat against her chest as he held her closely, enveloped in his arms. 

They were soon both asleep, arms wrapped around each other closely. What they didn't know was that they would not share another moment like that for weeks after.

* * *


	3. Manhattan...it's evil...

I hope someone is finally reading this…

"Hurry up," Spot yelled behind him.

Bitter muttered some obscene words under her breath and crossed her arms, glaring at his back. "I'm gonna take my damn time, de more time spent walkin', de less time spent gettin' ta know dose damn prissy wosses," she yelled to him. 

He just shook his head in response and picked up his pace. She let out a loud groan and hurried up to catch him. "C'mon Spot, can we please wait until dey're all in bed so I don't hafta deal wid dem me foist day," she pleaded, putting on her puppy-dog face.

He looked straight forward and said, "No and I know you'se givin' me dat face."

"What face?" she asked, innocently.

He laughed and took a side-glance at her, shaking his head. "You know what I mean, de 'take pity on lil' ol' me' face," he said.

She smirked, "Aw, I don't need yer pity," she said, hitting him lightly on the shoulder, "I get enough from you wid yer lovey-dovey ways."

He smirked and pulled her close to him, "An' ya know ya like it deep down," he said. She scowled at him and pushed him lightly away.

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "We're dere," he said, stopping in front of the large wooden building. 

Bitter groaned and tried to think of ways to buy time as he pushed her up the steps. "C'mon Spot, please?" she begged.

He shook his head, "You'se gonna be stayin' heah fer a while, so ya bettah loin ta get along wid dem," he said, opening the door and shoving her through.

She turned bright red as the whole lodging house turned to look at her. She grabbed at Spot and pulled him in front of her, whispering, "Dey're gonna hate me."

"Dey ain't," he muttered and pushed her towards the crowd. He went up to a tall boy with a cowboy hat on and a bandanna tied around his neck. They spitshook and then turned the attention on Bitter. Jack held up his hands and said loudly, "Dis heah is Bittah, she's Spot's goil an' she's gonna be stayin' wid us a while 'til some problems of hers go away."

She blushed deeper as they all stared at her, at least thirty eyes taking her in. Spot gave her a kiss on the cheek, "If anyone tries anything on 'er I'll soak ya," he yelled over the murmuring newsies. She scowled at Spot and rolled her eyes.

"I'll soak 'em before ya could evah find 'em," she muttered to Spot. Spot just smirked and kissed her sweetly on the forehead.

"I'se gotta run, Jack'll show ya around de place. If ya need anything, jist send someone ta find me ok?" he asked, his hazel eyes deeply sincere. 

She nodded slowly and sighed as he left. She felt really alone in her new, temporary home. She was glad when the newsies dispersed and she was alone with Jack, the one Manhattan newsie she believed she could tolerate. 

"So, Jack, where's de goils' bunkroom?" she asked, looking up the stairway.

"Well Bittah, things are a lil' different heah in Manhattan. We don't got two bunkrooms, jist one," he said.

She looked at him like he was insane. "Oh wondaful," she muttered.

He smirked a little and pushed her towards the stairs. "I got you a bunk by de window, no one's sleeping above ya an' de guy next ta ya don't have a goil, so I don't think it'll be too bad," he said, guiding her into the messy, noisy room.

She looked it over and sighed but sent a look of appreciation at Jack, a small smile creeping up on her lips. She threw her few things on her bunk and stared out the window. "De roof is marvelous at night if ya can't sleep," he whispered in her ear. 

She nodded, "Thanks Jack," she said.

He smiled. "Well, heah comes de part you're gonna hate, but oh well. I gotta introduce ya ta de guys an' goils," he said.

She followed him around the bunkroom, names and hands flying at her, all sugarcoated welcomes. The first girl that she thought was interesting was a short girl with red-brown hair and dark brown eyes. The girl's eyes flickered as she saw Jack, a certain meanness to them. Her name only made Bitter more interested in her. Pyro. She was still all over a guy like the other girls were. Skittery was his name and he seemed pretty interesting himself, his cynical side obvious.

She took a note to try to sell with her tomorrow and almost gasped with horror as she was introduced to a girl named Goosey. Her clothes were perfectly set on her and it was obvious that she was quite snobby just by the look she gave the others. She was playing a card game with her boy Itey and Bitter found herself faking her way through a smile.

The rest of the girls seemed alright, neither interesting or terribly awful. Bitter was having trouble remembering all their names, but she knew that with how long she was supposed to stay, it wasn't going to be a problem much to her dislike. She settled into bed and was happy when Jack shooed everyone else off to their bunks too. She smiled as the guy getting ready for bed next to her bunk, paused to introduce himself. 

"Hey, I'se Specs," he said, spitshaking with her. He seemed nice enough and not too clingy to anyone. She knew she would grow to like him, seeming more like a gentlemen, the kind of guy she wasn't particularly used to, but knew it would be nice to be around one for a change. She felt a pang in her heart as all the couples settled down together, desperately missing Spot, hoping that he would visit soon. She closed her eyes after a short conversation with Specs and found a deep gentle sleep soon upon her.

* * *


	4. some drama...and other such things

This one's for Vinyl….can't remember rest…lol. 

Bitter's arm shot out as someone tapped her, a dagger hovered an inch away from Specs' neck. Bitter turned a deep shade of red and muttered a 'sorry' to the now pale boy. She attached the dagger back to her inner thigh and pulled on the rest of her clothes, ignoring the shocked looks and stares she was getting from the other newsies. 

Jack yelled for them to move faster and went over to Bitter who was adjusting her straight hair under her cap. "Ya airight?" he asked. 

Bitter smirked, "I'se fine, but I think I scared de shit outta Specs' ovah dere," she said, pointing to the still pale boy who was fumbling around, trying to put on his clothes. 

Jack shook his head. "I ain't gonna question yer tactics, but jist try not ta let it happen again, airight?" he asked.

Bitter nodded and opened her mouth to say something else, but a skinny girl with a blue bandanna covering her blonde hair came over to Jack and placed a possessive arm around him, her blue-gray eyes looking Bitter over. "Oh Bittah, dis is me goil Tog," he said, kissing her on the nose. The girl smiled at her almost too happily and Bitter just nodded.

"Uh Jack, wheah's dat goil Pyro?" she asked, looking around his shoulder.

His eyebrows shot up in a confused look, but did not say anything to explain his thoughts on the subject. "In de bathroom, probably playin' wid matches again. Why?" he said. 

"Need a sellin' partner, don't I?" she said, quickly departing the couple so no further questions would be asked. She made her way to the bathroom and sure enough she found the short red haired girl sitting on the ground, playing with matches. She looked up and her eyebrows scrunched up to reveal a scar on her forehead. Bitter smirked and pulled out her dark blue lighter and two cigarettes. "Want one?" she asked the girl.

"Kloppman'll kill us if he finds us," she said, but got up and snatched one from her anyways. 

"He's gotta catch us first," Bitter said with a smirk, lighting hers up. Pyro smiled and took a drag of hers.

"So Bittah, why'se you heah?" Pyro asked, leaning against the wall. "I mean, ya don't look like ya particularly like it heah so far," she added after a puff of smoke left her mouth.

Bitter took a long drag and then sighed loudly. "Few guys aftah me," she said simply, without emotion. "An' dey ain't gonna leave New Yoik 'til dey find me, so Spot thought dat I'd be safer heah. 'Cause it's an unlikely place for a girl like me to be," she said.

Pyro nodded, enjoying her cigarette. "Lemme guess why ya came lookin' fer me. I'se de only girl heah who seems the least bit dangerous and fun," she said with a wide smile.

Bitter laughed and finished her cigarette. "I need a sellin' partner an' I thought you'd be de only goil I could stand being with for a whole day. Don't feel honored, I'se jist picky 'bout me company," she said. "I'd nevah tell anyone dat I don't like dem tho, but I think people get the hint," she added, putting out her cigarette.

Pyro nodded, "I see," she said. She finished hers and threw it in the sink. "Well, let's get goin' or we won't get our papes," she said.

Bitter nodded and followed the girl down the stairs, ignoring the different couples kissing on their way out. "Ya ain't gonna ditch me fer yer boy?" Bitter asked, as they neared the Distribution Center. 

Pyro shook her head, "No way, you'se more interesting an' you'se only stayin fer a short while, so I bettah get ta know ya now before ya leave," she said with a smirk.

Bitter just shook her head, a smirk crossing her face as she began to believe she'd be able to bear staying in Manhattan for a few weeks.

Selling went pretty well for her first day there, although she was used to getting in people's faces to get them to buy a paper. Brooklyn was much different from Manhattan in a lot of ways. The people in Brooklyn didn't always go for headlines and the newsies would often have to resort to begging, pleading or just being playing annoying to get them to buy one. In Manhattan, it was different. The people were more gullible and almost always you could get them to buy a paper, even with a cheesy headline. 

Pyro had to warn her many times the first few hours to back off of the customers and be a bit nicer, or they wouldn't buy at all. Bitter got used to it quickly and was out before Pyro. She watched the crowd as Pyro sold her last few papes and then they headed off to eat. Bitter was anxious to get some food in her stomach, but did not really like the idea of spending lunch with the rest of the Manhattan newsies, but Pyro convinced her to come anyways. 

It took only a minute to get there and Pyro quickly led her inside and over to a table with some of the girls sitting there, along with their guys. Pyro sat down next to Skittery and Bitter pulled up a chair. She was relieved that a conversation was already going, so that she didn't have to deal with any awkward silence. She noticed a fair-skinned girl with long brown hair and small hazel eyes that had her arm around a boy, who she remembered as being named Bumlets. The girl was singing softly into his ear and Bitter caught the sweet melody drifting her way, lightening up her mood. 

Bitter tapped Pyro gently on the shoulder, "What's dat goil's name?" she asked, pointing to her. 

Pyro smiled, "Vesta. Has a pretty voice, don't she?" she asked.

Bitter nodded and listened to the song drift on and was a bit saddened when it stopped. Pyro pointed to the couple next to Vesta and Bumlets. "Dat's Illusion an' Dutchy," she said quietly.

Bitter nodded and looked over the girl with chestnut colored hair and bright blue eyes that were concentrated on the blonde haired boy next to her. They seemed to enthralled in each other to notice that Pyro was pointing at them and whispering to Bitter. "The one's next ta me an' Skittery are Aki and Boots," she whispered once again to her.

Bitter muttered a 'thanks' and strained her neck to see a tan girl with short brown hair, reddish tints glowing in the sunlight, and blue gray eyes. On her face were freckles that seemed like they were painted by an artist and she could see a small black music note tattoo on her right shoulder blade which was just barely covered by a short dark skinned boy's face.

Another couple joining them interrupted her thoughts about the couple. A boy with a single crutch made his way slowly to the booth. A girl with dark blonde hair, pulled up in a bun, blue eyes looking worriedly as the boy almost fell off the chair. She caught his arm quickly and helped him back up to the chair. It surprised Bitter that she could hold his weight, being fairly skinny and gawked at the girl's scattered freckles as she whispered a 'sorry' to everyone. 

"Awww Gears ya don't hafta apologize, you an' Crutchy always make a scene, in more than one way," Illusion said, with a quiet snicker.

Her comment only made the couple blush more, making the whole table crack up. The conversation traveled on, but Bitter barely listened. She kept her eyes on the window, wishing someone would come and visit her from Brooklyn today. 

"Bittah? Bittah?" Pyro's rough voice said over and over. 

"Oh, what? Uh sorry," she said, seeing that everyone was staring at her.

"I jist asked ya what it's like ta be Spot's goil?" she said again, a bit irritated.

Bitter blushed a little. "Well, I ain't his property an' I don't want any of ya ta evah say I'se Spot's goil, airight?" she started off.

Pyro nodded and held her hands up defensively, "Airight, airight, I'll nevah do it again, sheesh. So what's it like?" she asked again.

Bitter smiled, "Well, wouldn't you like ta know," she said.

The girls laughed and Pyro just smirked, "Aww c'mon," she said, "Tell us something at least."

"Well, I'll tell you this, he's a good kisser," she said.

The girl's let out some noises and Pyro looked at Bitter in disbelief. "Aw, c'mon, ya gotta tell us more dan dat," she whined.

Bitter smirked, "Dat's all yer getting," she said. She was happy when the food came a few minutes later and she stuffed her face quickly, ignoring their questions. She finished up pretty fast and was glad that no one else was done, throwing some change on the table and then hopping up and leaving before anyone could protest. 

She went on her way out and promptly bumped into Specs, having become seemingly lost. "Oh hey, goin' back ta de lodgin' house?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Good, then maybe you can show me how to get dere," she said.

He smiled, "Suah, I'd love de company," he said.

She smirked, "So, Specs, why ain't you got a goil?" she asked, for lack of a better topic.

He blushed and just shook his head in dismay, not knowing what to say. "'Cause I'se waitin' fer de right one ta come along," he said after a minute of thinking.

Bitter smiled at his sincere statement. "Well, yer a nice kid Specs, I'se suah de goils'll be flockin' ta ya soon. Jist lemme give ya a piece of advice," she said carefully.

"Airight, an' what's yer advice, o' Queen of Brooklyn," he asked, smirking.

She laughed. "Don't let it get ta yer head," she said, "I don't want ya ta toin all egotistical on me."

He laughed in return, "Well, how do ya deal wid Spot den?" he asked, a smirk spreading across his face.

She smiled. "Well, let's jist say he's de one fer me, an' I make him more humble at times, I dunno. I love de guy an' dat's all dat I need," she said.

He sighed, "Well, I jist hope I find de right goil fer me," he said. "Ya know, Spot's lucky, havin' a goil like you."

"Oh really?" Bitter said, raising an eyebrow at the suggestion, usually causing more grief to Spot's life than anything else.

"Yeah, yer special, I don't know what it is, but people always like ya, even tho ya get in dere face, dere's something to ya," he said, looking her in the eyes. "I jist hope ya stay heah long enough fer me ta find out what it is exactly," he added.

She blushed, shaking her head. "Ya shouldn't say such things, yer buildin' up me ego," she said with a laugh and they continued on towards the LH laughing.

* * *

The week continued on and Bitter found herself more alone than she had ever been before. She barely talked to anyone else besides Pyro and Specs, no one else going out of their way to try to conjure up a conversation. She had almost given up hope on someone ever visiting her when Jack approached her one day.

She was writing in a journal on her bunk when Jack came over to her smiling. She looked up and closed her journal, putting it under her pillow. "You have a visitor," he said.

BC Tate appeared in the doorway, one of the Brooklyn newsboys hovering protectively behind her. The frail girl let him help her over to Bitter who embraced her at once in a hug. A touch of disappointment brushed over her when she found that it wasn't Spot that had come to see her, but tried to hide it.

BC smiled sadly, "I know ya Bittah, jist ask it," she said, knowing the disappointed look on her friend's face.

Bitter smirked, "Ya know me too well," she said, "So where is he?"

BC sat down and gestured for the boys to leave them alone. Jack had to practically drag the newsie out of the room with him to give the two girls some privacy. She sighed heavily and looked at Bitter seriously. "He would've come, but, well there's been some problems lately," she said.

Bitter's smile faded, "What happened? Who was it?" she asked, knowing all too well what was going on back in Brooklyn.

BC looked at the ground, suddenly finding an interest in the cracks in the floor. "BC?" Bitter said, knowing it was not good.

"There were two," she said quietly, scrunching her eyebrows up in a frown as she lost count of the cracks.

Bitter sighed deeply and closed her eyes, "Who was it?" she asked again.

BC bit her lip, "Ya ain't gonna like dis," she said, cautiously.

"Tell me Buttah, I jist gotta know," Bitter said seriously, touching her friend's shoulder. BC looked up, trying hard to get the names out. 

She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. "Estrella an' Needle," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Bitter's eyes widened and she looked at the ground, her hand wrenching into a fist. "How bad?" she asked.

BC didn't say anything, concentrating on the ground again.

"How bad?" Bitter repeated, angrily, her voice almost at a shouting level. 

"Bad, Needle, he's got a bad knife wound, we don't know if he'll live, he can't even stay conscious long enough to help himself at all," she said, a single tear dropping down her face.

Bitter clenched her teeth together, closing her eyes. "An' Estrella?" she asked.

"She's been unconscious for two days, but de doctor thinks she'll be alright once she wakes up," BC said. Bitter hit her pillow hard. "Damnit," she muttered. BC flinched and hugged her knees to her chest, looking at Bitter sideways. 

"Dis is all my fault, I have to give myself up," she said, getting up, determined.

"NO, Bittah ya can't, it ain't yer fault," BC said, grabbing her arm. 

Bitter brushed her off and walked towards the door. "I can't let them hoit anyone else, an' de only way ta make 'em stop is to go wid dem," she said.

"NO!" BC shouted, "I won't let you."

Bitter just shook her head and walked faster towards the door. BC did the only thing she knew to do and yelled for help. "Help!" she screamed, "Stop 'er" 

Jack and some of the other boys came running in an instant. Jack grabbed her arm. "Bittah, stop, wheah do ya think yer goin?" he asked.

Bitter shook him off of her, "I'm gonna end dis once an' fer all," she said, forcefully.

"You are not goin' anywhere," Jack said, grabbing her arm again.

Bitter pushed him away from her, "I'd like ta see you stop me," she said, starting to walk down the stairs at a quick pace.

Jack grabbed her around the waist and pulled her backwards. She dug her nails into his hands and twisted her body out of his arms. "Let go of me," she screamed. 

She clawed at the carpet on the stairs as someone grabbed her legs and pulled her backwards, that person finding a foot get awful close to his head as Bitter grabbed the railing and kicked out at the person behind her. She felt more hands grab her and pull her backwards while someone pried her hands from the railing, screams coming from her mouth. She wriggled back and forth, trying to get her body loose from the boys, screaming like a wild animal. It took six of them to drag her back into the bunkroom and hold her down on the ground, while Buttercup Tate tried to get her to stop screaming.

BC just shook her head at the scene Bitter was making, covering her ears. "Stop it Bittah," she screamed at her friend. Bitter took a deep breath and stopped struggling. 

"Let. Me. Go," she demanded angrily. 

"No," BC said, determined to keep her friend out of trouble. "Not until you promise not to go off an' be stupid by givin' yerself ovah ta dose bums dat soaked me, Needle, an' Estrella. I know you think it's fer de best, but it ain't. Now I know why ya nevah talked much about yer past. Dose guys, dey're dangerous an' dere is no way dat dere takin' me Bittah away an' back to Chicago," she said.

Bitter opened her mouth to say something, but BC hushed her. "I will not lose a good friend like you. I will not an' Spot wouldn't bear to lose the only girl he has evah loved. Dese guys are dangerous an' you are not goin' anywheah near dem," she said roughly, putting her head close to Bitter's. "Ya undahstand?" she demanded, her hazel eyes glowing dangerously. 

"Fine," Bitter said roughly. "Jist get dese guys off a me," she demanded, eyeing the boys evilly.

BC smiled, "Not until you promise," she said, crossing her arms.

Bitter glared at her and then thought for a minute or two. "Fine," she muttered, "I promise I won't run off an' try ta give meself ovah ta de Shadows."

BC smirked and nodded for the boys to get off of her. She shoved them away and crossed her arms, looking angrily at BC. BC just shook her head, thanking the boys for their help. She knelt down in front of Bitter. "I ain't gonna lose ya Bittah, no mattah what. I know what yer thinkin', but we all agreed, every single newsie in Brooklyn, dat we'd rather get soaked a million times den let dem take you away from us," she said sincerely.

Bitter sighed heavily and the dangerous look faded from her deep green eyes. "Airight," she said roughly, "but it's still gonna bug me dat people's gettin' soaked ovah me. I jist ain't used ta people carin' so much."

BC smiled and ruffled up Bitter's tangled blonde hair. "Well, I'se glad dat ya finally realized people care 'bout ya," she said.

Bitter rolled her eyes and laughed, the mood lightening. "Dat don't mean I'se gettin' soft on ya, so don't get yer hopes up," she said.

BC laughed, "I knew you'd say dat," she said.

Bitter got up from the floor and hugged her friend. She looked her over and noticed how worn out she looked. "Ya bettah get back, I'se suah Spot's anxious ta heah how I'se doin'," she said, rolling her eyes at the thought.

BC laughed, "Airight, I'll worry him ta death with de stunt ya pulled so dat maybe he'll come see ya sooner," she said. 

Bitter pushed her friend towards the door, "Be careful BC, an' send me best wishes ta everyone, especially Needle an' Estrella," she said.

BC nodded and turned to leave, but turned around to say something else. "Take care of yerself Bittah, be careful. If dey find you, I don't know what I'd do without you," she said.

Bitter smirked, "I will BC, I don't want ya up worryin' all night," she said with a slight laugh. BC smiled and disappeared. Bitter climbed into bed and prayed for the first time in nine years, a sudden feeling of despair coming over her.

* * *


	5. Bad things...tehe...

Bitter woke up early the next morning and snuck out onto the roof to see the sunrise. A beautiful ray of colors filled the dark sky as the shy sun snuck up behind the moon. She admired the sky and laid back, enjoying the first rays of sunlight hitting her pale skin.

Bitter closed her eyes and the next thing she knew, she woke up to the sound of someone yelling her name. She groaned and jumped down from the roof into the alley next to the LH. She laughed crazily as one of the smaller newsies jumped a few feet into the air when she landed next to him.

She quickly apologized and scurried off to find Pyro. She was being dragged away by Skittery to the Distribution Center and Bitter sighed, knowing that she would be selling alone today. She felt her thigh for her dagger and cursed as she found it was not there. She shook her head at her carelessness and turned around to go back into the LH, but newsies were swarming out and she was forced by the crowd to move forward. 

"Well, what's one day without it?" she thought out loud to herself as she made her way into the line for buying newspapers. She found her selling spot and poured all her energy into selling. She was out within an hour and so she took off to find Tibby's, having not eaten that morning at all. 

She whistled as she walked, a sweet little melody that made a few heads turn in the crowd she was pushing her way through. She didn't notice though, for she was too busy trying to figure out where the restaurant was and getting horrible lost trying to find it.

Bitter ended up in an empty alley and cursed out loud. "Damnit, where de hell am I?" she thought out loud to herself.

"Right wheah we want you," a rough, familiar voice said from behind her. She turned around and found a pair of blue eyes staring at her, specs of red glimmering in the sunlight. She gasped and backed up, straight into a boy called Jaws. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her hard against the wall. 

She hit it hard, but shook the pain out of her system, readying herself to fight. "Fuck," she said, realizing that her dagger was back at the lodging house as she went to pull it out.

Vladimir smiled evilly, "Tsk, tsk, don't leave home without your dagger," he said roughly. He turned to the girl that was behind him and handed her a few coins. "Thank you very much," he said. The girl took the coins, staggering off, obviously drunk. 

"Peeps?" Bitter's voice cracked in surprise. 

The girl just smirked and walked away, leaving her old friend alone with the four boys. Bitter's eyes flickered from boy to boy. "Hoid ya were in town," she said, glaring at Vladimir.

"Aww, Mel, we missed ya," he said, taking a step closer. "In fact, we missed you so much dat we're takin' ya back wid us," he added, nodding to two boys. They grabbed her arms and she struggled to get free of them. 

Vladimir smiled, "Don't fight honey, you're coming whether you like it or not," he said. Bitter's eyes widened as Jaws grabbed her around the waist and one of the boys pulled out a piece of cloth and forced it over her mouth and nose. "Sweet dreams," Vladimir said and then everything went black.

* * *

"What!?!" Spot yelled. 

Jack looked at the ground. "She's gone Spot, disappeared," he said nervously.

Spot looked at him wide-eyed and angry. "How? How could you jist lose her damnit," he shouted, obviously upset.

Jack winced. "Spot, I hoid something on de street, but ya ain't gonna like it," he said carefully. 

"What? Tell me anything that could help," he said, glaring at Jack.

He breathed in deeply. "Someone saw a goil wid some goons, four to be exact. The goons were thought to be new around town an' dis girl, she uh was drunk when dey mostly saw her wid 'em an' uh Spot, she was described to look exactly like dat goil Peeps dat ya 'av at yer lodgin' house," he said.

Spot's eyes widened and he punched the wall hard, making a loud sound. "Dat no good bitch," he muttered, closing his eyes. 

"Get me newsie Jack," he said quietly, scrunching his eyes shut.

"What?" Jack asked, not hearing him quite clearly. 

"Get Blue in heah damnit!" he yelled. Jack turned red and hurried out of the room, coming back with the tall muscular boy a minute later.

"What is it?" Blue asked, concerned at how angry Spot looked.

"Dey got Bittah," he said sadly, turning away so they wouldn't see the tears forming in his eyes. He brushed them away and looked stonily at Blue. "Peeps helped," he said, his voice turning rough with anger.

Blue let out a deep breath. "Jesus," he muttered. 

Spot nodded in agreement. "I need ya ta tell all de newsies about what happened an' I want Peeps gone, tell her if I evah see 'er again she's as good as dead," he said, his voice dropping to a softer tone so no one would hear him outside of the room. 

Blue nodded. "What ya goin' ta do tho?" he asked.

Spot smirked a bit, "I'm gonna find dem if dey're still in New Yoik an' if dey ain't I ain't too suah," he said, the distress of the situation overcoming him.

Jack put a friendly hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. 

Spot nodded in gratitude and looked up at Blue. "I'll be back in a day, by sun down. Until den, you're in charge," he said. Blue nodded and said a quick good-bye, getting on his way.

Spot sighed heavily, sitting down on the nearest chair. "I'se worried Jack," he said. "Dose guys are real dangerous. If dey ain't still in New Yoik . . ." he faded off. He clenched his hand into a fist and shook his head vigorously. "If dey're in Chicago, I'se jist gonna hafta wait it out a week or two, 'til I get news from friends down dere," he said, looking at Jack with a look of despair. 

"We'll find her," Jack said, patting him softly on the back.

Spot shook his head, "Dis ain't good Jack. It ain't good, an' I'se afraid. De first time since I first moved heah," he said. "If dey hoit 'er," he started, "I jist don't know what I'll do widout 'er Jack. I love 'er, I ain't evah cared fer no one like dat an' I think I jist lost her Jack." He covered his face with his hands, weeping, knowing the chances of finding her in Chicago.

Jack closed his eyes, shaking his head. "We'se gonna find 'er, whether it's in New Yoik or Chicago," he said, determined. "I'se got people down dere too," he said, attempting a smile. 

Spot nodded and brushed away his tears. "I gotta get goin'," he said, getting up, "Lots a' searchin' ta do."

Jack nodded and gave him a quick hug. "Good luck," he said with an encouraging smile. Spot nodded and left without another word.

* * *

Bitter was startled out of her sleep as the sound of a train's horn filled the space around her. She found herself in a darkened train car, bound at her wrists and ankles, a dirty bandana lying in her mouth.

She heard hushed whispers and then footsteps nearing her. Vlad's face stopped three inches in front of hers, smiling wickedly. "G'mornin'," he said with a laugh. "Bettah get comfy, it's quite a ride to Chicago," he said roughly, smirking the whole time.

She glared at him and if she was untied, she would have easily taken him out. He hit her across the face. "Don't give me dat look," he growled at her, becoming angry.

She looked at the ground and he smiled. "That's bettah," he said. 

He turned around to leave, but then turned back, a wicked smile on his face. "De goil's are lookin' forward to meetin' ya," he said with a laugh. 

She glared at him, but he turned around before he could catch it. She shifted and wished the ropes weren't so tight. She leaned her head back and soon fell asleep, dreaming of her old days back in Chicago.

* * *


	6. even more bad things...

* * *

When Bitter next awoke, she was in the strong arms of the large, muscular boy named Jaws. She gasped as they leapt from the moving train and much to her surprise, he landed on his feet, still holding tightly on to her. Vladimir came up next to him. "Good job," he said and then turned to Bitter, "We wouldn't want anything to happen to our dear lil' Mel, now would we?" He laughed his menacingly evil laugh.

Bitter glared at him and Jaws put her down on the ground where Vladimir had motioned for him to do so. One of the boys named Benny held her down while Vlad took out his sharp, handmade knife. Her eyes widened as he took a step closer to her, knife glinting in the darkness. She closed her eyes tightly as he knelt down next to her, ready for the all-too-familiar sharp pain to come.

The rough laughter of the boys made her open her eyes and she saw Vlad's blue eyes shimmering with laughter. He held up the rope he had cut from her ankles and then dropped it in front of her face. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up to a standing position. She glared at him but he ignored her and made her start walking. 

They soon got into the bad parts of Chicago and she tripped in one of the various alleys, falling to the ground. Vlad cursed at her, "Clumsy bitch," he muttered and kicked her hard in the stomach a few times, causing a loud sound of her ribs cracking. She stayed on the ground in pain, which only angered him more.

"Pick her up," he commanded one of his boys. She let out a little cry, muffled by the gag as he did so. The last thing she remembered was seeing the outside of her old home and then it all went black.

* * *

A sweet humming sound woke Bitter up and she tried to sit up, but between the pain and the calloused hand of a girl, she was forced to lay back down. She found that she was no longer tied or gagged and there was tough looking girl wrapping her swollen, sore wrists. "Damn boys an' their rope tying," the girl muttered under her breath.

Bitter looked around the room and found it was a small bedroom, empty except for the bed she was lying on, an identical bed next to her and a small dresser close by that was covered with various medical supplies and a stack of large, dusty books. The door was shut and the brown haired girl tensed as a noise came from outside the door, her eyes flickering nervously.

"Close yer eyes," she whispered to her. Bitter watched her take off her thin-framed glasses and toss them onto the dresser and then laid down on the other bed, closing her eyes. The door opened and shut just as quickly after someone peered into the room. As soon as the door shut, the girl got back up and put on her glasses. She finished Bitter's wrists quickly and then lifted up her shirt to get a look at her ribs. Her soft facial features scrunched up into a frown and her gray eyes clouded over with worry. "Damnit," she muttered, "Think they're smart, eh? Breaking three ribs an' then expectin' ya to be fine an' pickpocketin' by tomorrow."

Bitter watched her strangely, still trying to get a read on the girl. She hadn't expected anyone to tend her wounds at all and was almost positive that this girl wasn't supposed to be helping her out. 

The girl cleaned her glasses and then put her wavy brown hair up into a ponytail. She grabbed the top book from the pile and opened it, her now blue eyes skimming over the pages. She shut it soon after and grabbed some medical tape and then examined her ribs again. "Shit," she muttered.

"Uh Mel," she said nervously as Bitter's green eyes glared dangerously at her. "I hafta set yer ribs," she mumbled, trying not to make eye contact with her.

Bitter sighed heavily and closed her eyes. The girl grabbed the hardest thing she could find and stuck it in Bitter's mouth. "Me name's Cali, by the way," she said, hovering over Bitter, examining her ribs closely. She took a deep breath in and set them as quickly as she possibly could. Bitter bit down on the object and grabbed the edge of the bed with her fists, tears dripping down her face from the pain.

Cali proceeded to tape her ribs carefully up and then checked her wrists again. She reapplied some ointment and then wrapped them back up. All this time Bitter said nothing, not even a single word. As Cali finished she looked at the door nervously. "If anybody asks, ya found some medical supplies and did this yerself," she siad.

Bitter nodded understandingly. Cali put the supplies away and then settled down on her bed, closing her eyes. "Thanks," Bitter said, but found her fast asleep.

* * *

Bitter found someone tapping her lightly on the shoulder and squinted through the morning sunlight to see who it was. A towering boy with a muscular build stood over her frowning, almost a look of concern coming across his chiseled facial features. "Gloves?" Bitter asked, surprised at how much older he looked compared to the last time she saw him. His blue eyes were wise with worry for her and his blonde hair was buzzed off, making him look tough and a few years older than his eighteen. 

He nodded, looking her over. "Jesus, I knew they'd hurt ya if I didn't come with," he muttered, leaning down to help her sit up. He saw her wince as her ribs gave her trouble and shook his head, only more concerned. "Me goil was right when she said they did ya ovah," he said, gently helping her into a standing position.

"Wait, you an' Cali are tagather?" Bitter asked, a wide smirk crossing her face, but that smirk didn't last long as she tried taking a small step forward.

He nodded, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and helping her to the door. He sighed, letting her go as he opened it. "This place ain't no place for girls, especially like you and Cali," he said, looking down the hall nervously.

"I can help ya down de stairs, but no further," he said, a dismal look crossing his face. She nodded, understanding what he meant. He was a good guy, he had just found himself in the wrong place. Unlike her, he had found his place here, despite his caring heart and warm personality. 

Cali threw Bitter a quick smile as she kept watch on the stairs, making sure no one saw Gloves helping her. Once on level ground again, Gloves slipped Bitter's arm off of him and slipped his arm around Cali, kissing her on the nose. Bitter could already tell they were meant for each other in the few hours she had observed them. Gloves then waved good-bye and wandered off to find the other boys. 

Cali grimaced as she saw how pale Bitter looked. "Looks like yer not doin' much bettah, so I'se gonna try to walk slow wit ya," she said, pausing as she glanced around nervously. "Now once we leave de building, we'se gonna be watched, we'll have someone following us an' if ya try anything, dat person'll jump in an' be forced to take over watchin' ya," she said, "So, please, jist I know it'll be hard not to try to run off, but trust me, ya don't wanna lose any privileges they give you."

Bitter nodded grimly, knowing that she had gotten lucky or rather, Gloves had tried seriously hard to get her under Cali's care instead of anyone else's. Cali took her by the hand and pulled her gently towards the door. "Ya know de schedule still?" she asked, opening the door.

Bitter smiled sadly, "Yeah, couldn't evah forget it," she said. Cali smiled and then nodded approvingly, pushing Bitter through the door in front of her and into the street. It was a bit of a walk to get to their pick-pocketing area and so Bitter started up a 'light' conversation. 

"So, things still basically de way dey used ta be?" she asked.

Cali nodded, "Yep," she said. Her lips turned into a frown quickly and she looked at Bitter. "All's de same 'cept one thing," she said. 

"What's dat?" Bitter asked, a bit concerned by the serious tone in Cali's voice.

"Well, uh, once Vlad got more control over the gang, he uh, started exercising his power in different ways. He, well, let me give it to you as straight as possible. Every night, he picks one of the girls an' dey basically spend de night wit him, well maybe not every night, but real frequently. They kinda get forced to do stuff they don't want, but no one says nothing about it. Not since Ricki got thrown out," she said, staring at the ground.

"Ricki?" Bitter asked, racking her memory. 

"Real nice kid, one of the few an' well he didn't like how Vlad was treatin' de goils an' well one night he brought it up with Vlad and they took a walk, an' well, Ricki nevah came back," she said, glaring at the ground, kicking a rock angrily. 

"Did uh you evah, um you know?" Bitter asked, after a few minutes of silence passed. 

Cali shook her head, "No," she said, "Thank gawd too." She breathed in deeply shaking her head, "See me an' Gloves been tagether since it first started ta happen an' well, seeing as Gloves is Vlad's big brother, well he's nevah touched me," she said.

Bitter nodded and breathed in deeply. Quite a few things had changed since she ahd left and definitely not for the better. "Oh an' Mel, one more thing," Cali said, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Bitter's eyebrows furrowed into a frown, "Yeah?" she asked.

"Whatevah ya do, don't make him mad, his tempah' been rising, an' well, trust me, he's killed before an' he's likely to do it again if ya make him angry," she said, her expression barely changing as she stated that. Bitter nodded slowly, knowing she would have to watch her step. She did not know how she would get out of there yet, but she knew she had to soon, or she'd find out just how much his temper had worsened.


	7. violence...the bad kind...

Bitter did well for her first day back, even being in the condition she was in. Cali watched her in amazement, wondering how she could possibly still pickpocket while being so beat up. She was almost natural at it, but there was a certain distasteful look to her face as she swiped yet another pocket watch off of a man. Cali remarked on her skill, but Bitter just shook the compliment off with a shrug and sat back down to rest as Cali took a turn with the crowd. 

They came up with quite a profit to Cali's delight and the two girls even started up a light conversation on the way back to the old faded warehouse, hiding in it bitter memories. The door opened before the pair could ever touch the doorknob and were pushed inside quickly; the bulls were doing their weekly rounds. 

Bitter sighed, looking out the window, wishing that some how she could get their attention so they could get her the hell out of there. She knew there was no way she would be able to, but hoped they would find her nonetheless. 

Vladimir was watching her carefully from across the room and saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes as the bulls passed closely by the building. He strode over to her and pulled her away from the window, surprising her quite a bit. "Don't even think about it," he said roughly, dragging her farther into the room, away from the windows. 

She glared at him and had no strength to struggle with his grip. Thankfully, he threw her gently onto a nearby couch, where he could keep a better eye on her. She sat there with her arms crossed as people nervously flocked by, all hoping that the bulls would not try to enter the building. The whole situation brought back memories for Bitter, such as the time when the bulls actually did come in. She remembered it like it was just yesterday. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melody was sitting playing a card game with the few nice people in the crowd and winning to her surprise. She heard yelling and caught only one word. _Bulls._ She grabbed the smallest of the three and dragged her to the rooftop so they would not get caught. 

They sat there and watched as half of their gang was pulled out of the building in handcuffs. The small girl next to her was anxiously hoping that her older brother Frank was not one of those people. The two watched nervously for an hour as they beat the poor kids up. Half of them were not even over the age of 10 and Mel soon found herself closing her eyes and the eyes of the child next to her. She herself was but 11 at the time, but the girl next to her was only 7.

Melody felt the girl gasp next to her as Mel's hands were pushed away and she opened her eyes to see Frank, one of the older boys, being pulled out by at least 3 cops and beaten with their girlies. She grabbed at the small girl and held her close to her, covering her eyes as they beat the poor boy to death. The girl squirmed and screamed as Melody held her, trying to see what was happening to her brother. 

When the cops left, Mel let go of the girl and she ran down all of the stairs and Melody followed at a distance. She could hear the girl sobbing from inside the building and dared not to step out. When Mel walked out into the street, the small girl had a knife through her stomach and Melody vomited on the spot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

She felt someone pat her on the back and looked up to see Gloves. Bitter's eyes were tear-stained and the tall boy himself was fighting off the tears. He gave her a big bear hug, despite the glares he was receiving from Vladimir and held her as she cried silently into his shoulder. 

"It's hard, I know," Gloves said. Bitter nodded, wiping them away. "Poor little Mouse, she was such a darling little girl," she whispered. 

Vlad had had enough. He grabbed Bitter by the arm and Gloves opened his mouth to argue, but shut it quickly as Cali shot him a look from across the room. He sat down defeated as he watched Vlad drag Bitter off to her room. He threw her to the ground as they reached the room, calling one of his guys to guard the door. "Don't want ya gettin' inta trouble, now do we?" he said, shutting the door behind him.

Bitter sighed and laid down, rubbing her sore body. She fell asleep soon after, only waking when a loud crash sounded followed by a hushed yelp. It was already dark and she rose from her bed slowly, not knowing what she had heard. Cali's eyes fluttered open to see her move out of bed, heading towards the door.

"Don't go down dere Bittah," Cali warned, sitting up a little.

Bitter looked at her confused. "What was dat noise?" she asked.

Cali sighed heavily. "Listen, ya know what I told ya about Vlad's severe changes? Well, tonight he got a cravin', so dat's what yer hearin'," she said.

Bitter winced as she heard another loud crash. "Jesus Christ," she said, stepping towards the door.

Cali shook her head, "It's a death wish ta go down dere," she stated, her voice cautious, as if walls could hear them.

A loud-pitched scream filled the air and Bitter found her feet taking her outside the door and down the hall. She tiptoed and looked back behind her to see Cali's face peeking out of the doorway, full of worry.

A thud made her jump and she rushed towards the noise. She flung open the door and stood there shocked as she saw two naked bodies, one a girl covered with blood, her face full of pain. Vlad's eyes turned a dangerous shade of red as he fumed. He threw on his clothes quickly and made the girl get dressed. "You are jist askin' fer it, aren't ya?" he asked. She took a step back but found him upon her, dragging her in the room and throwing her hard against the wall. "Mel, ya made a big mistake by comin' in heah," he growled.

He threw her to the ground and shooed the other girl out, shutting the door behind her. Vlad stood there for a minute, deep in thought, which only frightened Bitter more. "You know Mel," he started, turning back towards her, a grin on his face, "I used ta be in love wid ya."

Bitter backed up nervously to the wall, eyes desperate with fear. "Remember dat dagger I gave ya? I spent a whole year makin' dat fer ya," he said, walking slowly towards her. "An' do I even get a second glance from you? Do I? No, not once Mel did you even look at me like I looked at you," he growled, grabbing her by the front of the shirt and pushing her harshly against the wall.

He inhaled deeply, digging his nose into her hair. "How long I've wanted to do dis," he said, "an' jist think, if ya woulda kept outta my business . . . shame shame." He ripped her shirt off and began brutally sucking on her chest, biting her as hard as humanly possible. She tried to push him off of her, but he held her arms above her, holding her against the wall with his own body. He littered her body with unwanted hickeys, bruises and kisses as she stood there helpless.

She cried and yelled, but it did no good, no one here was going to help her. Not even Gloves would raise a hand against Vlad. 

When he had stripped her of all her clothes he threw her on the bed and stripped off his clothes. She tried to dash for the door, but it only earned her a black eye and another broken rib.

He raped her body all night long, visibly enjoying every scream she elicited. Her body, to her distress, would not give out on her. She had no energy to scream or fight anymore and he did what he pleased until the sun came up. He threw her her clothes as the morning bell rang and she glared at him weakly. Her eyes were overwhelmed with feeling, the bright green color of her eyes turning into a deep emerald, a mixture of hate, sleepiness, hurt and shock in them.

She had a black eye and a bloody lip, not to mention the broken and rebroken ribs that were causing her enough grief as it was. She dressed herself and practically ran out the door. Cali was waiting for her there with Gloves, who was watching the door worriedly. They waited until Vlad left to hug and comfort her.

"I'm so sorry Mel," Gloves said, pulling her into a gentle bear hug.

She didn't cry, but her stony look was enough for them to know what had happened, not to mention the screams they had heard all night. Cali patted her back gently. "It'll be ok, Mel, never go near dat door again, promise me?" she said, a concerned look in her eyes.

Bitter nodded, "I promise," she said roughly. She let them help her outside and then took off with Cali for another day of work. All day Bitter thought about how disappointed Spot would be in her for letting Vlad abuse her body the way that he had. She was almost to the point of wishing that she was dead when they headed back to the old abandoned warehouse, which she could still not call her home. Cali stopped a little ways away from it.


	8. to please you all...

"Mel, today yer gonna meet da rest a' de goils, an' well, ta tell it to ya straight, de may rough ya up a bit, not like they need to, but they're restless for a fight," she whispered, carefully looking around.

Bitter nodded sadly. She knew how these kinds of things went. She never had agreed with them, but until now she had never known the full extent of their true horridness. It was bad enough that her ribs were in bad shape, but her outer appearance was just painful at first glance. Her body was littered with bruises, her right eye was blackened from the night before and her wrists were still swollen from being tied up.

_ No wonder Cali's concoined_, she thought as they passed by a hanging mirror. Cali led her back up to their small bedroom and sure enough there were four girls scattered about the room, waiting for them. Bitter scanned the room for the girl that she had seen last night in Vlad's room, but she had no luck of finding her.

She sat down next to a girl with blonde hair down to her waist, her tanned face scrunched up as she told about a recent fight, added in with many curses. The girl turned to glare at Bitter as she sat down, but the glare soon turned into a wide smirk as she looked her up and down. "Well, well, you must be Mel, glad you an' Cali could join us," she said, her grey eyes glimmering maliciously at her, softening only when taking in her roughed up appearance.

"I'se Lightning," she said, not even offering a hand, but taking her voice to a whisper after, "an' it looks as though someone got you before we could."

Bitter smirked slightly, knowing what she was implying and she let out a little sigh of relief. Cali abruptly interrupted their conversation to bring Bitter over to the leader of the group. She was a short girl of five feet, with a slim but curvy body, a pale complexion, and was obviously Irish. Her dark brown eyes glanced over Bitter as they approached, obviously making a decision on what she was going to allow her girls to do. She fingered through her messy, straight dark almost chocolate brown hair as her eyes flickered between Bitter's various wounds.

"Ribs?" she asked, addressing Cali.

Cali sighed, "Bad, some broken, some displaced, some cracked," she said quietly.

A girl about six inches taller than the leader came up behind her. "Mimic, does that mean we can't have any fun?" she asked in a rough tone. She was eyeing Bitter with her green eyes, obviously in the mood for a fight. Her peach skin was scrunched up in a frown as Mimic glared back at her. "What?" she asked, pushing her light brown hair out of her face.

"Maniac, you're disgracin' me," Mimic growled loudly, causing the whole room to become silent. She glared around the room and then back at the two girls in front of her. "Only introductions today," she stated loudly.

The girls groaned in response, but Bitter was struggling not to show her relief.

Cali nodded to Mimic and introduced them properly. The only person whose name Bitter did not know was a medium girl of about 5'5" with long brown hair and brown eyes. Cali cleared her throat, "Midnight, dis is Mel, Mel, dis is Midnight," she said quickly, anxious for the girls to depart

Bitter nodded, as did the other girl and they went on with the formals. Soon the girls had departed, leaving Cali and Bitter to themselves. "I got lucky didn't I?" Bitter asked, watching Cali as she hopped into bed.

Cali nodded. "You got damn lucky," she said truthfully, "it's those ribs that saved yer ass."

Bitter sighed, "So when did dey reschedule to uh, beat me up?" Bitter asked.

Cali rolled on her side to look Bitter in the eye. "You got a week," she said sadly.

* * *

Spot cursed loudly as he read the scrawled writing on the piece of paper he had in front of him. He tore it up and threw it to the ground, glaring at the newsies around him. He stormed out of the room quickly, mumbling angrily to himself as he slammed the door to the lodging house behind him. He shoved his hands into his pants' pockets and made his way to the local bar, ordering himself a few drinks.

One of the Brooklyn newsgoils was out drinking when she saw him come in; she had her notorious bottle of whiskey in front of her and had one of the servers invite him over to her table for a drink. 

His eyes narrowed as the waiter whispered to him, pointing over to the laid back girl, who smirked at the foul look on his face.

Spot nodded and strolled over to the booth, sliding in across from the girl. "What ya want Whiskey?" he asked, obviously not in the mood to be entertained.

Whiskey's green eyes flickered, "What's de news Spot, it's gotta be bad, otherwise ya wouldn't be actin' like yer underwear's in a bunch," she said, keeping a serious face.

Spot shook his head, "I don't want da others ta find out about dis, esp. BC, she'll be heartbroken," he said.

Whiskey nodded, "Spill," she muttered, taking a quick swig of whiskey straight from the bottle.

Spot gripped his hands in one another as he spoke quietly. "She's definitely in Chicago, an' dey gots people watchin' her all de time, so no one can touch her, not even a different gang. Dey say she ain't lookin' too good," he said.

"Who Spot?" Whiskey said, knowing better than to ask, but she was too drunk to keep her questions back.

Spot's eyes narrowed, "Me fuckin' sources Whiskey," he said, getting up.

Whiskey just shrugged watching him leave. She had every intention of telling BC Tate and knew it would not be pretty when it happened, but she was convinced that if BC did not know the truth soon, she would explode with worry. It was hard enough to watch a normal girl break down and cry, but watching a Brooklyn girl keep her tears in day after day was tougher than anything you could ever witness in your life.

She finished the bottle quickly and threw some change on the table, stumbling out of the bar and into the night, knowing exactly where Buttercup would be and made her way to the bridge.

* * *

The week passed by quickly for Bitter, each day her body getting progressively better. Not one day passed that she did not daydream about being back in Spot's arms and in the company of her friends back in Brooklyn. It was the only thing that kept her going. Her ribs were not doing too well, but she expected them to take time to heal. Her ribs were the only thing that kept her from running from the warehouse and never looking back.

Each night in Chicago had become gradually worse for Bitter, her longing to stop Vlad from hurting the girls she heard screams from every night. Cali had taken to sitting by the door until Bitter fell asleep and once she did, she pulled a piece of furniture in front of it so Bitter could not get to the door. She did not want for Bitter to get hurt again like last time.

It had killed Gloves to see Bitter so out of it and Cali could not do that to him again, not to mention that she liked Mel, and did not want her to experience such horrific events.

Bitter would often try to move the objects Cali had placed in front of the door, only hurting herself more by trying. She would give up easily and crawl back into her bed, her ribs aching and having to throw the pillow over her head to shut out the noises of the night. It was no wonder that when a week came around, Bitter's ribs were not doing any better.

She was sick of being stuck in Chicago, but knew there was no possibility to break free of this horrid place, especially in her current condition. Cali would comfort her day after day, telling her things would get better, but Bitter knew they would not. She was set on getting back home, even if she had to wait months before the timing was right.

Cali nudged her awake one morning and threw off her blanket, pulling up her shirt. "Jesus, dese ribs still look gawd awful," she muttered out loud. Bitter groaned and pushed Cali's cold hands away from her sore ribs.

"Leave me be," she muttered sleepily, pulling down her shirt and getting up slowly.

"You've been trying to move the furniture haven't ya?" Cali asked, narrowing her eyes as she saw that the desk in front of the door was pushed over a foot.

Bitter shrugged, pulling on some fresh clothes. "I'se sorry?" she said, a blank look on her face.

Cali sighed, "Ya can't go help them, he'll kill ya, or worse," she said.

Bitter rolled her eyes. "Airight Cali, I won't do it again," she said.

"I don't believe ya, but fine. Mimic ain't gonna be too happy `bout dis," Cali said, pushing the desk aside and opening the door for Bitter. 

Bitter walked through, shaking her head. "Yeah, well, it ain't my fault Vlad broke them twice in a row," she growled in a tired tone, glaring at Gloves as he smiled friendly at her.

"G'mornin' ta you too," he said. "Sleep bad again?" he asked, obviously concerned.

"Yeah," Bitter said, attempting a smile, "but I'll get ovah it," saying the last part as happily as she could possibly could muster up.

Gloves laughed, "Don't worry, you'll find your way out sooner than later," he said, patting her gently on the back, "but for now you jist concentrate on keepin' yerself alive."

Bitter nodded, "Yeah yeah Gloves, hoid dis all befoah," she said, grabbing Cali's arm and dragging her out of the building. "C'mon, let's get dis ovah wid," she murmured to herself.

Mimic and her girls were watching from the roof as Bitter and Cali exited the warehouse. Bitter had her usual look of pain on her face as she stumbled down the stairs and Cali watched her concerned. "Damn Vlad," Cali muttered rather loudly under her breath.

Mimic shook her head slowly, "Not today goils," she said, looking back at her small little gang. "Next week, an' if Vlad ruins it one more time, I swear ta gawd . . ." she faded off angrily.

Maniac glared down at the two girls. "Ya don't think Vlad would ruin our fun again. I mean, if he did . . ." she ended with cracking her knuckles menacingly, the other girls laughing maliciously as she did.

"No, if he does anything to her before we can I swear ta gawd, I'll get `im back de worst way I can," she murmured, and with that said, she disappeared into a cloud of fog, leaving her girls to try and figure out what she had meant by that.

* * *

The worst part for the newsies in Brooklyn was watching Spot break slowly, his outings to the bar being the only time he ever left the lodging house. He would lock himself in his room for days at a time, worrying himself to death over Bitter, the messages from his 'sources' only making him worse. BC Tate was surprisingly doing better, trying her best to think positively.

"When did she evah give up?" BC Tate yelled through the door to Spot. "Never Spot, never. She's gonna make it back, you'll see," she said, leaning her head against the door, hoping to get an answer out of him for once. She gave up and started to walk away when the door swung open and Spot stepped out, a look of hope on his face.

"Thanks BC, that helped," he said, smirking at her and then scowling as others walked past him in the hall.

BC nodded and watched him trail down the stairs slowly, stepping out of the lodging house for the first time in a week.

* * *


	9. suspense

* * *

The day went by slowly for Bitter, but when she was told that the girls had once again delayed the beating, she lightened up, even poking fun with Cali at various people in the crowd. Her love for pick pocketing, or lack there of, didn't pick up at any time, her despising every second she was forced to steal. Cali pushed her to do well and Bitter could not turn down the girl's look of pleading as she begged her to pick pockets after pockets, not letting her laze about like she had the days prior.

Bitter felt worn once they were done and back in the awful old building that she to live in again. Her past was not the best and she would have preferred not to repeat it so soon in her life. Cali and she pushed off to bed early, hoping to get more sleep than the previous nights when they were awoken by the screams coming from down the hall night after night.

Bitter dreamed peacefully, and smiled herself awake as Cali tapped her lightly on the shoulder, "Sleep well my dear?" she asked with a laugh as Bitter rubbed her eyes sleepily.

She nodded and fell sleepily out of bed, the fall not helping her ribs in the least. She laid on the floor, holding her side and cursing up a storm as pain streamed through her body. Cali sighed, looking at her concerned, "Get back up on the bed an' lemme see those ribs," she said, grabbing her arm and helping her back up onto the bed.

Cali examined them thoroughly and looked at Bitter with a knowing look. "I gotta set them again, an' its gonna hoit, a lot," she said, pushing Bitter back down on the bed when she tried to get up.

"Ya want them bettah don'tcha?" Cali asked.

Bitter glared at her, "Fine!"

Cali nodded and ran outside the room, hollering for Gloves and coming back with the boy, explaining what she had to do to Bitter and how he needed to hold her down as she did it. Bitter sighed heavily, causing her ribs to ache more and nodded along with Cali. "Airight, let's get dis ovah wit already," she whined, frowning at Gloves who grabbed her arms and pinned them up by her head.

She winced as Cali brushed her hand over Bitter's ribs, placing them one at a time, precisely on the first try. Bitter yelped with each one, pushing against Gloves arms as she tried to wrench free of him.

"Damn dat hoits," she cried as Cali placed the last rib. Gloves only released his grip when Cali had taped her up, both of them ignoring her cursing. "I hate you both," she said, crossing her arms when they finally finished with her.

Cali rolled her eyes, "You'll love me latah, now, no lifting anything heavy, pushing anything heavy or nuttin for a week, ya heah?" she said sternly, shaking her finger at her comically.

"Yeah, yeah," Bitter muttered, getting up from her bed and shoeing Gloves out so she could dress. She stumbled out of the room when she was done, her face pale with pain. Gloves watched her concerned and whispered to Cali, "Make suah she takes it easy taday."

Cali nodded and led her outside, making sure to walk slow. Each step seemed to be painful for Bitter as her usually pleasant face was scrunched up in pain the whole day.

Bitter had an awful time working, not to mention that her ribs were giving her more trouble than she had expected they would, making it almost impossible for her to concentrate. She did fine, but Cali still made her sit down for most of the day, obviously her worry overcoming any fear of not pulling in a profit for the day. 

After pickpocketing for a few hours, Cali took Bitter out to lunch at a small café, which she enjoyed much, the warm food helping to settle her nerves and forget about her ribs for a few minutes.

It became dark quicker than Bitter would have liked, but Cali insisted they not be late getting back, or they would have an angry leader on their hands. They made it back in no time, to Bitter's extreme displeasure and spent the night not sleeping as the usual horrid cries filled the warehouse. This routine went on for a week and the nights seemed to come too soon for the poor girls. 

Bitter had saved up her strength and one night found the noises louder than usual. She could not stand it anymore and grabbed the desk in front of the door, barely able to push it over enough for her to squeeze through. She cringed as her ribs gave her trouble, but the desk was soon moved over enough and she easily slipped out without a problem, having become quite malnourished while she was there. She tiptoed down the hall, hoping only to comfort the girl once Vladimir was done with her. 

She sat down next to the door and waited, cringing with each sound. It was a good hour before the noises stopped and Bitter stood up, filled with anticipation. Vladimir exited the room unexpectantly and upon seeing the frightened girl, he grabbed her wrists and shoved her up against the wall. "What are ya doin' out here?" he growled lowly, his nostrils flaring with delight at her pain-lit face. 

"I, uh, was getting a drink," Bitter said, her words stumbling out of her mouth in a nervous mess.

"A drink?" he snarled, glaring at the girl who appeared from the room and paused to bark at her to go away. Bitter was relieved for only a moment and then he turned back to her. 

"Mel, you shouldn't lie to me like that," he stated, his eyes narrowing quickly. She shook her head vigorously, but nothing would change Vlad's mind as he pulled her easily into his room, her body still weak from the last time he had hurt her. He slammed the door shut and pushed her roughly to the ground, shaking his head as he circled her like a vulture.

Bitter laid there shaking, praying that he would leave her alone. Her wishes were all in vain, for Vlad made sure to thoroughly hurt her, making everything he did to her long and painful. The night was horrible for the poor girl, daylight never seeming to come. He tortured her in as many ways as he could think of, making sure not to hurt her bad enough to knock her unconscious. Her insides went into a quaking frenzy every time he touched her and she could do nothing about her shivering body as he screamed at her to stop over and over again.

* * *

"What do you mean he jist uped an' left?" BC Tate hollered at the tall newsie in front of her. 

"ButtahCup, he's discouraged, he'll be back tomorrow," Blue said, throwing his hands up and walking out of the bunkroom.

"Wheah did he go?" she yelled after him, stomping to catch up to him.

Blue turned around, his eyes narrowing at the persistant girl. "Manhattan, an' you know de rules, if ya gonna go aftah him, take someone wit you, a guy preferrably," he said, not really caring if she went or stayed, just wanting a break from all the chaos of the past few weeks.

BC Tate growled and ran off to the girls' bunkroom, grabbing Winter's arm and dragging her out of the lodging house before she could even ask where they were going.

"Jesus BC, what's gotten inta ya? Wheah de hell are we goin' dis late at night? Spot's gonna kill us if he finds out," Winter said, frustrated at BC's blank look and silent answers. 

"Jist tell me wheah's we goin," Winter exclaimed, stopping in the middle of the street and crossing her arms.

"Manhattan, ta find Spot an' beat some sense inta him," BC said quietly, grabbing her arm and quickening their pace.

"What? Are you crazy? We'se gonna get a fuckin' whoopin' from dat boy if he sees us," Winter exclaimed, trying to get an answer out of BC Tate, but it was no use. She gave up talking and the rest of the walk to Manhattan was silent. 

When they got there, the lodging house was lifeless, it being the dead of the night. The two girls crept into the building carefully, but not unnoticed. "Well, well, what 'ave we got heah?" Jack said, stepping out of the shadows and turning on a light.

"Jesus Jack, trying ta scare de shit outta us two poor goils?" BC said, smirking as she saw his face light up, thinking he had caught criminals, not two poor newsgirls.

Jack smirked, "Well what brings you two lovely ladies ta our humble lodgin' house," he asked.

Winter sat down on the nearest chair, swinging her legs over the arm rest. "Well Jack, any one can see dat if you'se de newsies' leadah heah, den it'll nevah be humble," she said with a laugh.

Jack cracked a smirk, "I'll take dat as a compliment, so why de hell are you heah at dis hour?" he asked.

BC scoffed, "It ain't dat late Jack, an' we'se lookin' for our humble leader Spot," she said, stressing the word humble.

Jack smirked, "Ah, I see, well, ta tell ya de truth, I haven't seen him," he said, honest for once in his life. 

"What?" BC exclaimed. She looked at Winter who just shrugged, not knowing what to say. She had not believed that Spot would be in Manhattan in the first place, but did not want to tell BC that. 

Jack shrugged, "Well you girls might as well make yerselves comfy, cause ya ain't leavin' tonight. I'll set ya up wit some bunks fer de night," he said, motioning for them to follow him up the stairs. 

The girls looked at each other and dashed out the door before Jack could catch them. He shook his head, "Damn Brooklyn goils," he muttered, watching them run out into the night.

The two girls looked all night, but couldn't find Spot anywhere. They ended up back at their own lodging house and collapsed on the first chairs they could find. 

BC woke to someone tapping her on the shoulder and Spot's tired face appeared in front of her. "Lookin' fer me?" he asked.

* * *

The sun felt merciful and rose to the window as the dawn cracked before the world, but only the loud noises of people sleepily walking through the halls made Vlad stop for a moment. He glared easily at her, like she was the one who did wrong, not him and kicked her hard in the side, Bitter too beat to express her hurt.

"Get up!" he hollered, Bitter thankful that she could still hear him after what he put her through.

She got up on his command, grabbing her clothes and throwing them on, trying not to hurt herself more in the process, ignoring all pain that was coming from her body. Vlad shoved her out the door, making her fall once again to the ground, unable to get up. He kicked her, yelling for her to get up, not caring if he made a scene or not.

Bitter looked helplessly up at Cali and Gloves who were standing by, urging her with their eyes to get up. With their earnest care, she made it to her feet and unsteadily began to walk. Vlad tripped her intentionally and laughed as she fell easily to the ground, leaving after kicking her once more in the ribs.

Gloves picked her up from under the arms and helped her to Cali's room, where Cali fixed her up best she could in the few minutes they had left. Bitter would not answer any of their questions and did not respond to anything they said. All her movements were mechanical and the only thing that showed emotion were her green eyes. She barely made it out of the building without Cali's help and Gloves had to hold his girl back from jumping to help her as she almost fell various times.

Mimic was waiting for them, her body resting against the building, invisible to the trio. Her easy stare turned easily into anger as she saw Bitter. "Dat's de last straw," she muttered, slipping into the shadows of the alley, before anyone could catch sight of her.

* * *


	10. A Surprise

"Spot!" BC exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. "Wheah de hell were ya?" she asked.

"I should be askin' de likes of you de same question, ya know de rules BC, no leavin' witout de company of one of de boys," he said, crossing his arms.

BC stared at him with her mouth open. "Don't give me dat shit Spot, I was worried about ya, so I went lookin', I took Wintah wit me fer protection, she's a bettah fightah den half yer boys," she stated, throwing her arms up as he gave her a blank stare.

"I give up Spot, I give up. Yer hopeless, ya bettah get yer act tagether. She's comin' back an' she's gonna have a fit when she sees how your runnin' dis place," BC said, storming up the stairs.

Spot sighed heavily and sat down on the couch, surprised to see Winter pop up from behind him. "Spot, ya know she's right," Winter said, "It ain't like she's dead Spot, she's comin' back, ya know dat, I know ya do."

Spot sighed, "It's hard ta know anything when she's been gone fer so long, who knows what's happenin' to her," he muttered, trying to keep his voice steady.

Winter opened her mouth to say something, but Spot just shushed her and walked away, obviously not in the mood to discuss such depressing things.

"She'll make it," Winter called after him, the only response from him being a shrug.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day progressed and Bitter still had not said a word to Cali, the only sound coming from her was a brief cough as the cold wind flowed into her lungs. Bitter's expression did not change as they entered the old building, worrying Cali even more. She left Bitter in the room alone as she ran to get Gloves, Bitter's emotionless expression making her hurry her pace.

Bitter laid down on the bed with a sigh, closing her eyes for a brief few seconds. She heard a noise by the door and sat up, waiting for Gloves and Cali to enter the room, but they did not. Instead, Mimic stepped through, a mischievous grin on her face as she dragged Maverick behind her, who held a big bag in her arms. "It's time fer a trip Mel," Mimic said.

Before Bitter could say a word, Mimic's elbow connected harshly with her temple and she crumpled to the ground. The two girls heaved her up easily and into the bag, tying it up and then carrying the limp bag with them as they ran out of the room.

Gloves squinted down the hall as two girls stepped out of Cali's room, a big, bulky bag in their arms. "Cali?" Gloves started, Cali shushing him before he could put in another word, dragging him into the shadows as the girls looked back.

Only when they had trailed down the hallway, did Cali grab Gloves arm and ran after them, knowing that the two girls were up to no good and that Bitter was most likely the object in the bag. Gloves followed silently, not questioning what they were doing until they were out onto the darkening street. "What is goin' on, Cali? Do you know what dere doin' with Mel in a bag?" he asked as they proceeded to follow the girls closely.

"It don't look good, but ya nevah know what dose goils are really thinkin'," Cali muttered quietly, biting her lip as she saw the two girls stop halfway between the lake and the trainyards. Gloves held Cali back in the shadows as she tried to step forward, her face filled with worry.

"We'll see what dere plannin' an' then if they try ta hoit her, we'll stop them," Gloves said, simply, as though nothing could go wrong with his plan.

Cali nodded, watching silently as they revived Bitter from her unconscious state.

Bitter blinked her eyes open and lurched back as she saw the two girls. "What de hell is goin' on?" she asked, rubbing the sore part of her head.

"Well ya see Mel, Vlad has been gettin' on our nerves, ruinin' our fun, tryin' ta overpower our lil' crew. You are just one of the many examples of how he manipulates us into believing one thing and getting something else. So we'se gettin' back at him, we'se lettin' ya go, but first we gotta fake yer death. There's people watching all ovah the place," Mimic said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Bitter blinked at them, "Yer lettin' me go, jist like dis?" she said in disbelief.

Maverick rolled her eyes, "Yes, ya hoid Mimic, that's what she said. Now all you gotta do is let us push you into the lake, making it look like we knocked you unconscious first. Stay in that lake for as long as you can stand and hide somewhere so if someone checks you ain't jist floatin' around, ok? We're leavin' ya some clothes to slip into after that so you don't die before you get back to New York. Hop a train, I know you've done it before and I'm sure you'll remember which way to travel. Good luck an' don't get caught," she said, speaking each word without emotion or concern. "Yeah, an' be good, don't get yerself in any more trouble," she added with a quick wink and a smirk, leaving the rest of the plan up to Mimic.

"You know how ta act?" Mimic asked, glaring at Maverick as she departed and then back at Bitter.

Bitter nodded. "Airight, den when I go to hit a knock out punch, you fall hard to the ground an' I'll push you into the lake. For the rest, you're on your own," Mimic said, spitting in her hands and rubbing them together.

Bitter bit her lip. "Thanks Mimic," she said quickly.

"Don't mention it," she replied, circling around Bitter as she tried to decide which angle would look the most realistic. "Ready. Set. Go," she whispered to Bitter as she went for a fake punch to her temple, stopping inches away from her head, and watching Bitter's dramatic and realistic fall to the ground.

"NO!" Cali cried from the alley, Gloves trying to restrain her, unsure of what was happening himself.

Mimic turned around and quickly shoved Bitter into the water, rushing over to Cali to explain herself. Gloves slammed his fist into the side of her face before she could explain, angering Mimic greatly. She lunged at him and the two wrestled on the ground, Mimic taking the upper hand after a few minutes but having trouble pinning the rather muscular boy. Cali watched them fight with a look of shock on her face, not knowing what to do.

Mimic began sputtering the story out as she struggled to keep Gloves from overpowering her. "I didn't really hit her," she whispered, looking straight at Cali, going on to explain herself.

It took Cali a few minutes to grasp what was happening, but once she realized what was going on, she had a look of relief on her face. Mimic let Gloves up as soon as he figured out what she was saying, telling him that someone was watching. Cali jumped right into an act, burying her face into Gloves chest, pretending to cry. The trio set off for home shortly, not wanting to keep Bitter stuck in the freezing cold water and wishing the best of luck for her.

Shortly after they left, a few footsteps were heard from the short dock above the lake, forcing Bitter to hold her breath as a face appeared over the water, scanning for any signs of life. The person walked slowly away, not finding anything there at all, and Bitter let out a quick sigh of relief, making sure to not move until the footsteps were long gone.

It was a half an hour before she mustered up the courage to crawl out of the lake. Instantly, cold wind hit her wet body as she painfully lifted her body onto the ground, sitting there for a minute and looking for the clothes the girls had talked about. She found them in a pile near where she was sitting and took her time undressing and redressing herself, her body aching severely in pain.

Bitter had just finished dressing when she heard a train approaching the station. She rushed towards the train, which was slowing down to her delight. She lingered in the shadows until it started moving again, not wanting to be caught by the bulls as they made their inspections.

Bitter had confidence in getting home as soon as she possibly could and used the last bit of her strength to heave her weak, malnourished body onto the accelerating train, barely making it on alive.

She settled down in a corner and fell fast asleep, dreaming of her reunion with Spot and the rest of the Brooklyn newsies.


	11. finally home - 2nd to last chapter

Spot had been pacing for hours that day, ever since the sun came up. He had not been able to sleep all night, something in his heart jumping ever so slightly as soon as he dozed off. He knew something was happening and would not let himself falsely hope that Bitter would be back today by some strange miracle. 

He tried to sell his papers for a good hour or two, but found his concentration shot. He knew there was a train from Chicago coming in that night. He had been stalking the trainyards for a series of nights, finding out every train that had stopped in Chicago, or had even passed through the town before getting to New York, in hopes that Bitter would be on one of them.

Spot tried taking a quick nap, but his thoughts overcame his need to sleep, and soon found himself pacing once again. He was about to sneak out the window for another trip to the train station, when a knock came to his door and Buttercup's rough voice said, "Spot, I'se know yer in dere."

He sighed and hurried over to the door, letting BC in, receiving a knowing look from her as she saw the open window. "Goin' somewheah?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she motioned toward the window with her head. 

Spot frowned, "Not anymore," he said, a bit on the upset side.

"Well, I wouldn't mind goin' ta de trainyards," BC said, satisfied with Spot's bewildered look.

"You'se been followin' me," he said dumbly, sitting down on the bed as he watched BC nod her head.

"I know yer worried about 'er Spot, but she's gonna come back whether you check the trains for her every night or not," she said, her voice becoming softer as she continued on. "But if it makes ya feel bettah, I'd like ta take a lil' trip dere, wit actual company an' not spyin' on anyone," BC added with a smirk.

Spot chuckled, "Figures ya'd say dat," he said, getting up and leading her quickly out of the room. The two newsies were silent on the way to the yards, the streets of Brooklyn getting more dangerous as the sun faded out of view. BC struggled to keep her mouth shut, seeing the look Spot had on his face, knowing he was thinking about things. Bitter's disappearance was having a horrible effect on Brooklyn's tough leader and BC prayed that Bitter would come back soon so he could get the lodging house back into shape. 

It easily took them an hour to get to the barren train station, the complete abandoned look of the place only unsettling Buttercup's nerves more as they made their way across the various tracks. Spot jumped as a loud train horn sounded, the bright light coming from the front of the train blinding the two of them for a few minutes. They dodged out of the way and hid under an empty boxcar, waiting for the train to stop fully. Many figures jumped off the train before it had stopped, none of them in the shape of a girl.

BC was about to tell Spot it was time to leave when a figure limped off of the barely moving train, curses from the girl's mouth echoing over the loud sound of the stopping train. Spot looked at Buttercup, eyes wide with dismay as he began to realize that the voice sounded much like Bitter's. He did not wait a second more and grabbed BC's arm, dragging her out from underneath the boxcar and racing over to where the figure of a girl had stopped to rest. 

"Bittah?" Spot called out, praying that it was truly her.

"Who's dere?" Bitter's rough voice questioned, limping out into the darkness, trying to see who the two figures belonged to. 

Spot smiled brightly, knowing it had to be her and ran at her. "Bittah!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a quick hug, which made the hurt girl yelp in pain.

"Jesus Spot," BC said, cautiously approaching the two, pulling Spot off of Bitter as she sounded another yelp of pain. "She's fuckin' hoit," BC stated, taking out a small flashlight and shining it all over Bitter's body to see how bad she was off. 

"Bittah, what'd dey do?" Spot asked, the concern in his voice obvious as it softened from its earliar tone of excitement.

Bitter turned her face away, staring at the ground and twisting her body away from them. "Bittah?" BC started, touching her friend's shoulder lightly.

"I'se fine," she muttered quickly, obviously trying to hide what had happened.

BC looked at Spot who just sighed in response. "Come on Bittah, let's get ya back ta de lodgin' house an' den we'll talk ok?" he said, tugging carefully on her arm.

She nodded, limping past them, holding onto her side as she walked.

BC pushed Spot in front of her and watched him try to comfort her, lightly putting his arm around her shoulders, talking quietly. She watched tears slip out of Bitter's eyes as she whispered hoarsely back, Spot not satisfied with her answers by his obvious look of concern and hurt.

BC hung her head, trying to think of what could have possibly happened to Bitter that was so bad to make her close off like she was doing. "Spot, why don't you run back to the lh and get some boys ta help Bitter back, she doesn't look like she can walk much further," she said, watching Bitter's face turn paler with each step she took.

Bitter's face lit up in approval, stopping in her footsteps, glad to get away from the prodding questions Spot was asking. Spot bit his lip, looking from Bitter to Buttercup and then nodded quickly, running off back to the lh to get some help.

Buttercup helped Bitter sit down next to her on the deserted street. "How bad off are ya?" Bitter asked.

Bitter sighed, "My ribs are the worst," she said quietly.

BC let out a deep breath, "Let me take a look?" she asked.

Bitter nodded and laid down in compliance, pulling up her shirt slowly for BC, who tried to keep in the gasp that was forming at her lips. Her whole midsection was a purplish black color, some of her ribs obviously broken and out of place. "Oh shit," she muttered softly, getting a look of concern from Bitter.

"They hoit pretty bad," Bitter said, pulling down her shirt, "but ya ain't settin' 'em heah or I'll pass out. I don't know why I hasn't yet."

BC smirked at the face Bitter put on, her pride obviously still in tact. "So ya gonna tell yer best friend what de hell happened dere an' why you'se in shit condition?" she asked frankly. 

Bitter closed her eyes. "Let's jist say some awful shit BC, awful shit, I was hoit more den jist physically BC, if ya know what I mean," she said, wiping the unwanted tears away. 

BC's mouth dropped, "Dat bastard...he...," she gasped out loud, Bitter's nod confirming her thought.

"Twice, well two full nights of hell," Bitter muttered softly, trying her best to keep back the tears she had been hiding for so long.

"Oh shit," BC muttered out loud. "I'm so sorry," she said, carefully hugging her friend. Bitter just shook her head, not wanting to go into any more discussion about the subject.

BC pulled apart from her after a few minutes of letting Bitter cry into her shoulder. "Ya want me ta tell Spot, or do you want ta?" she asked after moments of silence.

Bitter brushed her tears away with a dirty hand. "You," she whispered, closing her eyes as she inhaled deeply, which only made her lurch with pain as her ribs started to give her more trouble. "Oh shit," she muttered, turning paler with each word she spoke and each breath she took. 

"Bittah ya ok? Bittah?" BC asked, her voice cracking with worry as Bitter turned paler and paler by the minute. "Bittah speak ta me, talk ta me," she whispered, holding the malnourished girl in her arms.

Bitter closed her eyes. "Get me back ta de lh," she whispered weakly, instantly going limp in Buttercup's arms as she lost consciousness.

"Oh shit," BC muttered to herself, attempting to pull Bitter up and carry her, but even as malnourished as Bitter had become, BC could still not lift her body up, no matter how hard she tried. 

"SPOT!" BC screamed as three figures appeared on the horizon, tears streaming down her face without her permission.

Spot came running along with Blue and one of the other Brooklyn boys. "Oh shit," he muttered, seeing Bitter unconscious. "We gotta get her to the lh, now," he said, motioning for the two boys to pick Bitter's body up.

"What happened?" he asked BC as they jogged towards the Brooklyn Lodging House. 

"We was talkin' an' all of de sudden her ribs were givin' her more trouble den usual an' next thing I knew she was out like a light. An' dose ribs look awful, someone really hurt her," BC said, watching the two boys in front of her closely as they carried Bitter, walking as fast as they possibly could.

Spot bit his lip, "I should've nevah sent 'er ta Manhattan," he muttered, his voice getting choked up as his eyes watered a little, the tears not daring enough to trail down his face.

"An' Spot, dere's something else," BC said, pulling him back away from the other two boys' hearing. "De leadah dere, he uh, raped her, two whole nights, all night long each time," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder to let him know she was still there. His eyes slowly faded into thought, blanking out from everything else that was happening as he took in the fact that someone had hurt his girl badly, hurt her in the worst way.

He didn't even remember getting back to the lodging house. He sat in a chair next to his bed, where Bitter had been put. He watched blankly as one of the girl's fixed up her ribs and various minor cuts, with the careful instructions of Needle, who was still in no condition to do much doctoring work.

Spot only came out of it a day later when Bitter woke up from her unconscious state. He smiled and kneeled down by her bed, taking her hand into his own, fighting back the tears as she gave him a sad smile. "Did BC tell ya?" were the first words out of Bitter's mouth.

Spot nodded, happy that she was still alive through all of this. He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I'se nevah gonna leave ya again," he promised, smirking at the odd look Bitter sent his way, her old self pulling itself back together.

"I love you," she said after a few minutes of silent talking.

Spot almost jumped for joy, as she had only said those three words once before. "I love you more," he retorted happily.

"We'll see about dat," Bitter said, poking him on the nose. "So when do I get ta see me goils?" she asked with a smirk.

Spot laughed, knowing that things would soon get back to normal.

I'll put the Epilogue up soon, I swear. I know you all hate me for keeping you waiting.


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue 

Weeks had passed since Bitter had first arrived home and things were almost back to normal. Bitter warmed up slowly, but there was a different air about her for quite some time. She had finally gotten back into the swing of things, trying not to worry about her fear that Vlad would come back to find her again, when she received a letter from Chicago.

Bitter had been sitting on her bed all day, writing in a journal, a new hobby she had picked up in her first week back, having to lie in bed all day. Estrella was in good form, gaining back the weight she had lost from getting badly hurt a month or two prior. She watched Bitter from across the room, comically getting up and sneaking over to Bitter's bunk, peaking over her shoulder and trying to see what she was writing. 

Bitter didn't even notice until Buttercup walked into the room and yelled at Estrella, who fell off the back of the bunk with a surprised yelp. BC laughed and shoed Estrella out of the room, saying she had to discuss something with Bitter. 

Bitter rolled her eyes as Estrella stumbled out of the room with a sheepish grin on her face. "So what ya wanna talk about?" she asked, closing the already worn journal and setting it aside.

BC threw a tattered letter on her lap and gave her a comforting smile. "It's from Chicago," she said softly.

Bitter's eyes widened, "Chicago?" Bitter repeated, looking nervously at the letter. 

"Yeah, want me ta open it an' read it to you?" BC asked, cracking her knuckles nervously as Bitter shook her head. The letter was looked over one more time and then opened slowly, the girls unsure of what it would say. 

Bitter started to smile as she looked it over. "It's from Gloves!" she exclaimed, and started to read the letter out loud.

Dearest Mel,

I hope you don't think that I forgot you, because I haven't. Things are going well here and I hope that they are going just as well over in New York. Vlad disappeared a week after your supposed death, angry that Mimic would kill his most prized possession. He isn't likely to come back and I want you to know that you can come visit us without being in any danger from him. If Vlad was ever to show up in Chicago again, he'd be killed. I have taken over the gang and everyone's much happier, especially Cali, who says hi. I hope you're doing better than when I last saw you, I know you got a lot people who care for you there, but if anything ever falls through, know that you got people here in Chicago too. Take care until we next meet.

Yours Truly,

Gloves (George) Harris

Bitter wiped away a few unexpected tears and smiled brightly at BC. "Now I don't hafta worry right?" Bitter asked, addressing herself more than her friend.

BC nodded diligently. "He won't be back, an' Spot wouldn't let 'im near ya if he evah did come back fer ya, so don't worry yer little head off," she said, grabbing Bitter's hand meaningfully, promising to herself to never let Bitter be taken away from her again. 

"Plus, me an' de goils are always heah, ready to fight off any goons dat come yer way," BC added.

Bitter laughed, "Oh yeah, like I'll let de likes of all of ya get hoit fightin' me own battles," she said, winking at BC, who cracked a smirk.

"I knew de ol' Bittah was in dere somewheah," BC said, comically poking her friend in the stomach, in turn, getting thrown off the bunk. 

"I told ya ta nevah do dat, ya loon!" Bitter squealed, jumping at BC and the two wrestling playfully on the ground. 

"Hey quit dat you two!" Spot said, seeing the two girls as he entered the room. He pulled them apart, shaking his finger in a fatherly manner towards the two.

"Aw c'mon Spot, we ain't no fragile goils, dis is our play time," Bitter said pouting. 

Spot laughed, "Yer crazy," he said, helping her up from the ground. 

"Guess dat's why ya like me so much," Bitter said with a giggle as he planted a kiss on her nose.

"Ugh, stop all dat mush, ya makin' me sick," BC exclaimed, putting a hand over her eyes.

"Looks like things are back ta de way dey used ta be," Whiskey said with a chuckle from the doorway, raising an eyebrow as Spot snarled at her.

"C'mon Bittah, we gots stuff ta do, dat don't involve yer boy," Winter interjected from behind Whiskey, pushing past her and grabbing Bitter's arm, dragging her away from Spot as BC got in his way from trying to get his girl back.

"Latah Spot!" BC exclaimed as she ran out the door, locking it and throwing a chair in the way so he could not possibly catch up with them.

"Damn goils!" Spot yelled from the girls' bunkroom, the last sounds he heard from them being giggling and loud horseplay as they made their way to find trouble.


End file.
